Experiment 001
by Kitsune Hanyou
Summary: COMPLETE! A new girl enters Smallville High who has a strange connection to Lex and an even stranger one to Clark. Clark must save her before a vengeful scientist returns to reclame his experiment.
1. Prolog

Experiment 001  
  
Chapter 1: Prolog  
  
"Come, Lex," Lionel Luthor called to his fifteen year old son, "you get to see how funding for my corporations works, firsthand!" The man seemed much more excited than his son.  
  
Lex Luthor did nothing except roll his eyes; he'd rather be at one of his father's boarding schools right now. He didn't like research labs.  
  
"Mr. Luthor!" The over-anxious scientist, John Frampson, Ph.D., stated. "Our newest experiment will amaze you!"  
  
Lex rolled his eyes again. Science was rarely "amazing". Why did scientists always seem to think that people would be amazed by microscopic specks in test tubes?  
  
"I hope so, Dr. Frampton," Lionel said, "your center is costing a lot of money."  
  
Lex laughed, *that's* why.  
  
Dr. Frampton's smile wavered a moment, then he took a deep breath and opened a door. Through it, was a hallway that led to the center of the complex. "We discovered a new type of being. She is amazing! In yellow light, like what we get from the sun, she is incredibly strong, almost indestructible; but in red filtered light, her strength is normal, for our standards. And a specific type of radiation seems to make her very weak. It's simply fascinating!"  
  
Lex sighed, this man obviously wasn't getting laid if he was calling some mico-organism "she".  
  
The doctor opened a heavy metal door with the numbers 001 painted in white on it, and ushered the two Luthor's in. Both men's eyes widened in shock at what they saw. A young girl, no older than ten, sat chained in the center of a glass cage, crying. The lights were red filtered, and the scientists that filled the room seemed unperturbed to have such a small girl crying.  
  
"What is this?!" Lionel yelled, "You're doing experiments on a child?!"  
  
Lex knew his father well, he wasn't worried about the child, per say, he was worried about the lawsuits the child would cause.  
  
"She is no ordinary child!" The doctor yelled back.  
  
"She's crying!" Lex yelled. Lex was the last person to show pity, but this was horrible.  
  
"I'm cutting all of the funding in this place. I'm going to make sure you never have funding! She's a child!"  
  
Lex opened the cage door and walked in. The girl whimpered and tried to move away, but the chains held her tightly in place. "I'm not going to hurt you," Lex said softly.  
  
"She doesn't understand English. The only sounds we get out of her are gibberish," the doctor called.  
  
Lex didn't pay any attention, he held out his hand to her, "It's alright," he took another step closer.  
  
The girl raised her hands and shouted, "Tsukai, ni doro! Tsukai! Tsukai!" Her voice sounded so frightened.  
  
Lex stepped back, "What did you do to her?!"  
  
"You used a kid as a 'lab rat'?!" Lionel spat.  
  
"Trust me, Mr. Luthor, she is no 'child'."  
  
"All I care about is that she *looks* like a child!"  
  
Lionel continued to argue with the doctor while Lex tried to gain the girl's trust. "Hey, I'm not going to hurt you." He held his arms out, speaking softly.  
  
The girl was sobbing softly, "Tsukai, ni-norai. Tsukai. Cor tan suna mir la. Tsukai!" She held her chained wrists out, "Tsukai! Cor tan suna mir la!"  
  
Lex understood; it wasn't hard, her body language clearly gave it away. "Where's the key?" He asked the doctor.  
  
Silence.  
  
"Where's the key?!" Lionel asked, much stronger than Lex had.  
  
Dr. Frampton pointed at the computer, "The password is t-s-u-k-a-i."  
  
"Where'd you get that?" Lionel asked, typing the keys into the computer.  
  
"It's the word she keeps repeating. At first we thought it was her name, but obviously, as you can tell, it isn't. We haven't been able to translate her language yet."  
  
"I doubt you even tried," Lionel spat. He hit the "enter" key and the red- lit room flooded with normal yellow-white light.  
  
The girl started to pull her bonds wildly.  
  
"Tailor!" Dr. Frampton yelled, "get the meteorites!"  
  
A young assistant sprang from his chair and pulled open a metal box near the glass cage.  
  
The girl's shackles fell and she moved as far away from Lex as she could. "Tsukai! May ra la tu kai-ha!"  
  
Tailor grabbed the rock and rolled it into the cage.  
  
Lex stared at it, what would a glowing green rock do?  
  
The girl, on the other hand, seemed to be terrified. "Cy! Cy!" She looked at Lex, her expression begging him to help her. "Tsukai, inay ta." Her face contorted in pain and she fell to the ground, "Inay ta, inay ta."  
  
"What is that?!" Lionel yelled.  
  
"One of the meteor rocks found in Kansas, when you asked us to check it over. The same place we found her. It's the only thing that can weaken her."  
  
"Is it dangerous?" Lex asked.  
  
"Only to her."  
  
Lex picked it up and threw it across the room, "Can't you see she's just scared?!"  
  
"I suggest you get out of there, she put three interns in the hospital last month."  
  
Lex only stepped closer to the trembling girl. "Ji-say toy."  
  
"Please, it's alright. I'm not going to hurt you. My name is Alexander Luther, what's yours?"  
  
"I told you, she can't speak English!"  
  
Lex gently took her hand and put it on his chest, "Alexander Luthor," he said. He put his hand close to her. "You?"  
  
Her chocolate eyes searched his for a moment, not understanding. Then they widened and she took his hand. She put it on Lex's chest and said, "Al-ex- an-der-lu-tho-r."  
  
Lex nodded and smiled.  
  
She brought his hand to her and said very excitedly, "Alli-Oxah! Ta kira na, Alli-Oxah! Alli-Oxah, ny suu Purame-Oxah!"  
  
A/N: Chapter one down, hope you all like it. Please leave a review. I know that I'm not into the real story yet, but please, enjoy! Feedback tells me how fast to update. Please! Review! 


	2. New ArrivalLittle Sister?

Experiment 001  
  
Chapter 2: New Arrival/Little Sister?  
  
Chloe walked into her homeroom class more excited than she had been in a long while. Rumor had it, there was a new student at school; one all the way from California. Not only that, this student had been editor of her school's newspaper. A fellow reporter was always welcome in the eyes of the young investigative journalist, and she was already trying to get the scoop on this new arrival.  
  
The bell had not yet rang, but she spotted Clark and Pete already sitting in their seats. She took a few long strides over to them, anxious to hear what they had found out about the new student. "Hey, guys," she said, her excitement overflowing into her voice. "Did you hear anything about the new kid?"  
  
Clark and Pete looked up, as if they didn't understand the question Chloe had, so abruptly, shot at them, "What new kid?" Pete asked, trying futilely to hide the fact that he really didn't care.  
  
Chloe internally beamed, ever ready to show off her quick investigation skills. "The new girl! She's from California, L.A., from what I hear; and she was the editor of her last school's newspaper, AND rumor has it, she's strange. I don't know if it's "Wall of Weird" standards, but that's what's floating around."  
  
"Come on Chloe," Clark responded, shaking his head, "She's probably scared to death to be in a new school, she doesn't need you trying to get all of her life's details out of her."  
  
Chloe frowned, Clark and Pete just couldn't understand anything, could they? "Don't you think it's kind of weird though? Why would someone leave southern California and come here?"  
  
Both of her friends shrugged, "Maybe she isn't from California?" Pete reasoned.  
  
Chloe gave an exasperated sigh as the bell sounded. The teacher made an attempt to start the lesson, when the door to the classroom was slowly and unsurely opened. A girl, who seemed very young, walked in. She wore a red schoolgirl miniskirt, red stockings with black fishnet stockings over, and a black fishnet shirt that stopped just short of covering her navel, which was pierced with a silver bar. Black, silver buckled combat boots covered her feet and up to her mid-calf. Her chocolate curly hair had a single streak of indigo running down the front right side, and black eyeliner circled her dark eyes, that matched the exact brown of her hair, and ran into a point at her temples. She looked around the classroom and trudged to the teacher. She handed the adult a slip of paper, keeping her eyes glued to the floor the entire time.  
  
The teacher smiled, "Class, this is........." she looked back at the paper, moving it farther and nearer to her eyes, as if she was trying to adjust its focus, "Al.........All.........Ox.........Ms. Lu—"  
  
"Uh-lay-Ox-uh, just Alli-Oxah." The girl spoke in a voice much softer than anyone who looked so frightening should. "But people usually simply call me Alley."  
  
"Well, Ms. Alley, why don't you tell us a little about yourself? Like where you come from? What you like to do?"  
  
Alley shifted uncomfortable, "Alright," she paused, looking as if she was trying to gather the courage. "My name, as I said, is Alli-Oxah. I have lived many places." Her words were chosen very carefully, and she looked as if she had to think very hard before she spoke them. "Los Angeles was the last........." she closed her eyes for a moment, as if she was thinking, "City?" She whispered, she nodded once to herself, "City," she said a little louder, "where I lived."  
  
One of the jocks in a letterman's jacket laughed, "Nervous, freak? Can't remember how to talk?"  
  
A few students snickered.  
  
She lowered her head, "I am sorry, it is hard for me to remember a few English words, on occasion. Being—'nervous'—I believe does not.........help."  
  
"Where else have you lived?" The teacher asked, trying to pull the girl away from her difficult situation.  
  
"New York, Boston, Miami, Huston, and a few other places. I have moved many times sin—since I was eight."  
  
"And what about before that?" Chloe asked before she could stop herself, her curiosity finally getting to her.  
  
The girl looked away, "May I please have a seat?" Alley asked the teacher.  
  
"Yes," came the answer, "Mr. Kent, please raise your hand, you can have the empty seat next to Clark."  
  
"Shi-ay," she whispered, then froze, "I am sorry, I-I meant, 'th-thank you'." She didn't even wait for a reply before she took her seat.  
  
Chloe, Clark and Pete exchanged surprised glances, then turned back to the teacher, who had restarted the lesson.  
  
Class progressed and ended uneventfully; when the bell rang, Chloe stood, and noticed that in Alley's notebook, weird notes were written:  
  
1= w-n  
  
2= t-oh  
  
3= th-ruh-ee  
  
4= fuh-oh-rah  
  
5= fuh-iy-v  
  
6= sss-eih-cks  
  
7= sss-eh-v-nn  
  
8= aye-t  
  
9= n-aye-n  
  
20= t-w-n-t-ee  
  
30= th-rr-t-ee  
  
40= fuh-oh-fah-t-ee  
  
And so on to about 1,000= w-n-th-ow-ss-ah-n-duh.  
  
"What's that?" Chloe asked.  
  
The girl quickly closed her notebook, and whispered, "Nothing," before she grabbed her backpack and left the room.  
  
"Good going, Chloe," Pete patted her shoulder.  
  
She sighed and grabbed her own books, ready to leave. "Not very talkative, is she?"  
  
"She's just nervous, and she doesn't seem to speak that well," Clark answered. I wonder what language she speaks?"  
  
"I don't know, but I want to know what she did before she was eight," Chloe answered.  
  
"Leave her alone, Chloe," Clark asked, "She doesn't need you making everything harder."  
  
Chloe sighed, but refused to give up. She was never one to give up a great story.  
  
The three left the class room and walked down the hall, just in time to see three jocks grab Alley and push her up to the lockers, "You're mouth is going to get you into trouble, Freak."  
  
"It would not be the first time," she answered dangerously, staring into the eyes of the boy holding her.  
  
"Why, you.........!" He snarled back.  
  
"Excuse me?" A male voice asked calmly. "Is there a problem here?"  
  
The three boys turned slowly. "M—Mr. Luthor, no, nothing's wrong."  
  
Lex smiled, "Then will you please unhand my little sister?"  
  
The boys jumped away from Alley as is she was on fire. Chloe, Clark and Pete just watched, riveted and perplexed.  
  
"Thank you; now, don't you have a class to get to?"  
  
The three boys scrambled away without a word.  
  
Lex sighed, "You okay?"  
  
Alley smiled, "Of course!"  
  
Lex gathered her in a hug, "Why don't you ever listen to me when I tell you to be careful?" He asked, a true smile lighting his face. It wasn't the false smiles that he usually tried to pass off, but a true smile, that even lit his eyes. "You are going to get yourself killed and then what would I tell our father?"  
  
Alley shook her head, "What's your point, Alex? You're far too old to attend a school, aren't you?"  
  
"You forgot this," Lex answered, holding out a brown paper bag. "My cooks took the time to make you a wonderful lunch, the least you could do is take it."  
  
Alley laughed, "I made myself a lunch, unlike you, I don't enjoy having people do everything for me. I like to do things for myself."  
  
Lex laughed, "Fine, I understand. OH, you left before I could ask you, can I pick you up and take you out for some coffee?"  
  
She smiled and nodded, "Fi, Alex, mi-ro ha-et so-I-la he bre coffee."  
  
Lex closed his eyes and thought for a moment. He opened them and smiled, "Sorry, I'm a bit out of practice, "Yes, I would blank to blank coffee?"  
  
"Love and get," she answered.  
  
"Right, the Porsche fine?"  
  
She shook her head, "Why must you insist on such automobiles? They are.........overpriced?" She looked at him and he nodded, "Overpriced and useless. A much more inex-inexpen.........sive, one would be fine."  
  
"It doesn't matter. I'll pick you up, fi?"  
  
She smiled, "Fi."  
  
"Oh, and look for a Clark Kent. He's one of the nicest people in this town."  
  
"I shall," she answered.  
  
Lex kissed her on the cheek, "Please, don't piss off anyone else in the meantime, alright?"  
  
"Fi, jira."  
  
Lex laughed. "Good, suu."  
  
Then they both parted ways.  
  
"Clark," Chloe asked, "does Lex Luthor have a sister?"  
  
"Not that I know of."  
  
Chloe smiled. This was turning out to be even better than she had originally thought!  
  
A/N: Wow, I got a whole bunch of reviews! ::does the dance of joy:: I never expected that many. Thank you to everyone! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I do try. Please tell me what you think, the more reviews I get, the faster I update.  
  
Next chapter: The Coffee Shop: Lex and Alley have some coffee.........and a mad scientist returns to reek havoc on the Luthers. 


	3. A Closet Full of Skeletons

Experiment 001  
  
By: Myranda Ync/Kitsune Hanyou  
  
Chapter 3: A Closet Full of Skeletons  
  
Chloe walked out of her day's last class, the school's newspaper, with Alley. Chloe was quite impressed. Alli-Oxah might not speak very well, but she was an excellent writer. The new student had brought a few of her articles to help audition the journalism class. Chloe found that she wasn't very talkative, even one on one. She would speak only when asked a question, and still with as few words as possible.  
  
Chloe had even casually asked about her past, only to get Alley to close up more. Chloe's practiced investigation skills refused to allow her to formulate any theories; she had no information to go on. Though the girl's silence made Chloe's mind lean toward something incredibly bazaar, she just wasn't sure what.  
  
"So," Chloe made another attempt to start a conversation, "what are you doing after school?"  
  
"I am meeting my brother for coffee," Alley answered simply.  
  
"Really?" Chloe tried to stretch it out as far as she could, "So where are you gonna go?"  
  
"I do not know."  
  
"Well, it's probably the Talon. It's the best coffee place in town; Lana Lang, a student here, runs it for Lex."  
  
"Lex?"  
  
Chloe almost jumped out of her skin. Had Alley actually asked *her* a question?! "Yes, Lex Luthor."  
  
Alley smiled, "You mean Alexander Luthor?"  
  
Chloe was ecstatic; *two* in a row! "Yeah, his friends call him 'Lex'."  
  
"I never understood the fascination with shortening one's name. There are reasons why parents name their children certain things. We should not disgrace them by changing them."  
  
"You don't like being called 'Alley'?"  
  
Alley shook her head, "No, not when it is pronounced like in 'alley cat'. 'Uh-lay' is my name. Oxah is simply my family name. 'Alley' is nothing like my name, with the exception of the way it is spelled. An 'alley' is a dark place, where crimes take place. 'Alli' means 'intelligent beauty'."  
  
"Than why is it spelled with an 'i' at the end if it's pronounced, 'a'?"  
  
"Different cultures pronounce things different ways, I would imagine."  
  
Chloe smiled, fully cataloging the information and storing it in her brain, "So, can I call you 'Uh-lay?"  
  
Alli looked at her and smiled back, "Yes, I would like that very much."  
  
"So, Alli, it's a small town, who's your brother?" Although she already knew the answer, she wanted to hear it for herself.  
  
"Alex Luthor."  
  
"But, you said your family name was 'Oxah'."  
  
"It is, Lionel Luthor took me as his own when I was seven; ten years ago."  
  
"Really? Where did you live—wait, your seventeen?!" Chloe stopped dead in her tracks.  
  
Alli looked over her shoulder, a smirk lit her face, "I do not look it, do I?"  
  
Chloe smiled, "Where did you live before Lionel took you in?" She asked, resuming her walking.  
  
Alli hesitated, "I—I don—I do not remember."  
  
"You don't remember?! What do you mean?"  
  
"Alley!" Lex shouted, the exact pronunciation Alli had told Chloe to use. Except Lex didn't even have to think about it. He walked up to the two, "Ready?" He asked Alley, holding out his hand.  
  
She smiled, "Yes," she turned back to Chloe, "Thank you, Chloe, I will see you tomorrow?"  
  
Chloe forced a smile, trying to hide the disappointment of not having her last question answered, "Sure, see you then."  
  
Alley handed Lex her backpack; slid it onto his shoulder and took her hand. When they reached the car, he even opened it for her and closed it as soon as she was in. He tossed her bag into the trunk and got into the driver's seat.  
  
Chloe watched them drive away and decided that she needed to convince Clark and Pete to go with her to the Talon.  
  
* * *  
  
The Talon wasn't especially busy, just the normal smattering of patrons. Lex and his sister had taken a table close to the door, just slightly to the right side. Lana had asked what they wanted to drink; Lex had ordered his usual, then ordered Alley's for her. Lex looked at her to see if he was right, but he already knew he was, she had always ordered a cappuccino with extra whipped cream.  
  
"So," Lex started, smiling at his sister, "how was your first day of Smallville High?"  
  
She sighed but smiled warmly, "Same as the first days at every other school. Nothing changes. Ni-ay! Nothing!"  
  
"Some things change," Lex answered.  
  
"Troy-ai?"  
  
"Yes, really. You've gotten prettier."  
  
Alley laughed, "Cy! You've just gotten more blind!"  
  
Lex chuckled, "What? I like the look. It's different from anyone in Smallville."  
  
"I'm different enough, I don't need any more." She put her head in her hands, "My homeroom teacher had me stand in front of the class and talk about myself. I completely blanked out! I totally forgot all of my English. The only thing I could think was 'tsukai, Alex, inay-ta!'."  
  
Lex smiled, "Because you know I always will."  
  
"That why you called and asked me to come here?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"He's free. And don't say you don't know what I'm talking about. I read it online. He's looking for funding. You know as well as I do that there is only one experiment he wants to continue!"  
  
Lex looked away, "Okay, so you know. I wanted you near enough so I could make sure you were safe. I refuse to wake up to a heartless memo placed on my desk, that says that you were killed two thousand miles away." He shook his head, "No one will think to look here, hell, its called 'Smallville'!"  
  
"I've always trusted you, Alex," she lowered her voice to barely a whisper, "you're the smartest Earthling I've ever met."  
  
Lex smiled and whispered back, "Well, we can't all be from Krypton."  
  
Alley smiled, "Just drink your coffee."  
  
* * *  
  
Clark hadn't meant to eavesdrop; really, he hadn't. All he did was walk through the Talon's door. But that didn't stop him from almost fainting because of what he heard.  
  
"—from Krypton." Lex's voice whispered.  
  
"Just drink your coffee." Came the reply.  
  
For a moment, Clark couldn't remember how to breathe. Had Lex found out?! He felt like running as fast as he could, but Chloe and Pete were standing next to him.  
  
"Clark, man, are you okay?" Pete asked.  
  
Clark blinked, "Yeah, Pete," he answered automatically.  
  
They walked up to the bar and ordered their drinks, just as a man walked up and started to rant about the service. "Who owns this place?!"  
  
Lana tried to calm the man, but to no avail.  
  
* * *  
  
Lex and Alley heard the man yell; Lex sighed, "'Scuse me." He stood to deal with the angry customer.  
  
Alley sat smiling; it had been a while since she had been able to talk to Alex without having to look at a picture to see him. She had never in her life on this planet trusted another person. Alex had saved her. He was the nicest person anyone could ever hope to know. Though he would never admit it to anyone other than her. No matter how angry he was at the world, he never let it show in his voice or face when he spoke to her.  
  
Alex always made her smile, no one, not even Lionel Luthor knew that Lex had a wonderful sense of humor. He could come up with a hundred jokes on the spot to cheer up the girl whenever the need arose. To the world he was a power-hungry, seemingly evil, son of a corporate big shot, who only got where he was because of his father. What Alley saw was the sensitive young man who protected her and spent countless, tireless hours to teach her to communicate. Though, Alley was forced, on a few occasions, to remind Alex to quell his megalomaniac tendencies.  
  
She looked over to where Lex was standing, expertly handling the problem customer.  
  
"Excuse me," a man asked, "is this seat taken?"  
  
Alley looked up, her eyes wide with fear, "Qu-sai!" She gasped.  
  
"Quiet, brat!" He snapped, "Hope you listen better now that you speak English!"  
  
"Inay-ta," she breathed. "Cy! Cyo qu-sai." She shook her head back and forth, "Cyo qu-sai!"  
  
"You're going to win me the Nobel Prize," the man said, a sadistic grin contorting his weathered face.  
  
"Inay-ta!" Alley screamed at the top of her lungs. "Inay-ta! Alex! Inay- ta!"  
  
A/N: Wowzers! Lots o' reviews for me! I feel loved! Keep 'em coming! As you can see, Lex is slightly different. I didn't mean for him to be *this* out of character; it just kinda happened. I just wanted to show that Lex is a very complex person, who hides himself from the outside world. He does care about people; but only certain ones. Also, most of the story will be written from Chloe's perspective. Don't ask me why! When I was rewriting it, it just seemed to click easier than writing it from Clark's or Lex's like I had originally planned. Besides, it makes sense (to me anyway) Chloe is kind of a busybody. She would be the one spelunking around and digging through people's pasts. Heck.........she does it a lot!  
  
Now! I get to answer reviews! Sorry I didn't do this in the last chapter, I just didn't have the time.  
  
CTony: Ok! The way I get reviews is I sit at the bottom of every chapter with a bowl and look really pathetic, croaking, "Reviews! Reviews for the poor!" LOL, no. I don't know. Truthfully, I never expected this many. When I wrote it I thought, "Ok, Amanda, see if you can beg Sam to read your fic and send you a review, so you can look good." But, I guess I don't need to. Maybe it's because I say that the more reviews I get, the faster I update. I don't know. I liked your story, though. Script fashion usually isn't my fav, but you got me hooked. Please continue, I'd love to see what happens to Lana! Question though, if she has Kryptonite in her blood, how can Clark be around her?  
  
DuMont: Thanx, I thought it was Luthor, but my pc doesn't like that spelling.........computers suck sometimes. Thanx, I'll fix it.  
  
Circe: I live in Southern California. Why anyone would want to leave here, where it was 90 degrees in FEBUARY I have no clue. Chloe was making a comment, "why would she come to *Kansas* from L.A.?" Is it still cold in NY? It's like 85 out here.  
  
Knight/m: Actually, she gets her fashion tips from me and my best friend.........we dress like that all the time.........scary, huh? But that's about the only thing I have in common with Alli. She's actually kinda crazy, in the non-fun way. Lots of emotional problems. Anyway, I'm giving too much away.  
  
To everyone who said something about the language: Mostly its just random sounds I pulled out of my brain. BUT I worked really hard, so I know what each phrase is supposed to say, so I can remember single words. Like "tsukai" means "please". "Cy" means "no". And in the last chapter, when Lex was telling Alley to be careful, she said, "Fi, jira" which means "yes, father", and Lex answers, "Good, suu", "suu" meaning "daughter". "Ni-ay" means "nothing". I think its funny that Lex speaks Kryptonian.  
  
I'm not saying anymore. You'll have to read to find out what happens next!  
  
Don't forget to leave a review! Thanks! 


	4. So Many Questions, So Few Answers

Experiment 001  
  
Chapter 4: So Many Questions, So Few Answers  
  
Lex heard Alley scream and whipped around. She was slowly backing away from a man, probably in his late forties or early fifties. She tripped over the leg of her chair and fell to the floor; but that didn't stop her from backing away. She scrambled backward until she hit the bars of the railing.  
  
Everything else in the shop went blank to Lex, all he saw was the man and his sister. He rushed to the railing and vaulted over. The man looked at him, surprised, not even realizing what was happening, until Lex's fist slammed into his jaw. The man fell back, hit one of the tables and landed on the floor, only momentarily stunned.  
  
Lex knelt next to Alley, who was trembling with vacant eyes, mumbling incoherently in a language that was most certainly not English. He reached to comfort her, but she jerked away and screamed, "Inay-ta! Ta oy qualey ma Kal-El! Tsukai! Ta oy qualey ma Kal-El! Inay-ta!"  
  
* * *  
  
Clark heard the scream and looked up to see Lex running, faster than humanly possible, and punch the man making his sister so hysterical.  
  
He started to move toward Lex and Alley, to aid in any way possible, when he noticed just how many people were staring at Lex. Lex also seemed to have everything under control.  
  
Then Clark listened to exactly what Alley was screaming. He almost fainted.  
  
He felt Pete staring at him, and knew that he has heard right. She screamed something about Kal-El...  
  
* * *  
  
Lex touched her cheek, but she obviously didn't see Lex. She kept trying to back away from everything. Lex was sincerely trying to help her. "Alley! It's me! Alley, it's Alex!"  
  
She looked weakly at Lex, "Inay-ta," she begged. "Kal-El, ta qualey Kal- El." She started to sob, "Kal-El."  
  
Lex studied her face, "English, Alley." He said softly, but the desperation he was feeling penetrated his voice. "Remember, English?" She didn't seem to understand. Lex gave an exasperated sigh, "Alley!" His voice was almost frantic, "I don't know 'Kal-El'! What does 'Kal-El' mean?!" He stared straight into her eyes. "Ta......" Lex closed his eyes to concentrate, "ta dio-sa kai 'Kal-El'."  
  
Alley gazed hauntingly into his eyes, "Ta xia," she answered.  
  
Lex shook his head, "I don't know those words, Alley! I'll help you find it, but I need to know what that means!"  
  
A mocking laugh sounded behind him, "I don't know why you even try," the man Lex had punched said.  
  
Lex looked up slightly, not fully taking his eyes away from Alley, "Lana, call the police."  
  
"You can't have me arrested," the man laughed.  
  
"You aren't allowed within a mile of her," Lex hissed.  
  
"Last time I checked, you didn't have one for Kansas." He smirked, "You can't stop science, *Mr.* Luthor."  
  
"You're not a scientist," Lex snarled, "you're a butcher."  
  
"Tom*a*to, tom*o*to," he shrugged, "'Till next we meet." He turned and strolled calmly away.  
  
Lex turned back to Alley, who continued to whisper, "Inay-ta."  
  
Lex took her hand, "Alli-Oxah," he said softly, "ta inay-jo. Just let me."  
  
Alley looked up at him. Something in her eyes flashed, and she threw herself into Lex's arms. "Alex! Inay-ta qualey Kal-El."  
  
Lex hugged her, "I will, I will. It's all right. I'm here." He helped her to stand, "Come on." He kept his arms around her as he walked her to the door.  
  
Alley looked around, fully taking note of just how many people were staring.  
  
* * *  
  
Clark watcher with the rest of the patrons, not knowing what to do. Alley looked straight into his eyes with a piercing gaze. Her mouth hardly moved and even Clark's super hearing barely registered the sound that came out, "Kal-El.....?"  
  
Clark stared, not sure he had actually heard what he had thought. As soon as Alley and Lex were gone, he dazedly turned to Chloe and Pete, "I.....I gotta go....."  
  
Chloe and Pete nodded, their minds to befuddled to comprehend what had just happened, let alone realize what Clark was saying.  
  
* * *  
  
Clark ran inside his house at top speed, calling to his parents. Jonathan and Martha stepped out from the kitchen, "What's wrong, Clark?" Martha asked.  
  
Clark's opened and closed his mouth a few times, but no words came out.  
  
His parents suddenly became very worried. Jonathan put his arm around his son and led him to a chair to sit down, "Clark," he spoke softly, "calm down. Just tell us what's wrong."  
  
Clark swallowed, "I-I think Lex knows."  
  
"What?" Both his mother and father shouted. "Why, Clark?"  
  
"There's this new girl at school, Alley, she's Lex's sister. She was in the Talon with Lex and Lex said something about being 'from Krypton'." He shook his head, "Then, she started screaming in this weird language, I think it was Kryptonian, I understood a little, and she called me Kal-El!"  
  
Jonathan and Martha looked at each other.  
  
"And that's not even the strangest part!" Clark continued, his eyes growing wide with panic, "Lex was answering her that language!"  
  
"Clark, slow down," his father coaxed, "are you sure Lex can speak Kryptonian?" Clark nodded. "Are you sure that it even was Kryptonian?"  
  
"I don't know! But I understood some of the things she was saying! She said that she needed to find Kal-El. And Lex said that he would help her!" He went to slam his fist on the table, but stopped just in time, "She looked right at me!"  
  
Clark," his mother soothed, "you can't know if Lex knows that you are Kal- El. You don't even know if this girl really is from Krypton. Have you seen anything that would prove she was like you? Any powers?"  
  
"No, but she knows."  
  
Jonathan sighed, "I hate to say this Clark, but why don't you talk to Lex, see if you can find anything out. If he can speak this language, he should know where it came from."  
  
Clark thought for a second. But shook his head, it just wouldn't work!  
  
"Just try, Clark," his mother said, "that's all you can do."  
  
Clark nodded, "I'm just so confused. What is she is from Krypton?! What if she's here to make sure I conquer everything?! And if she sees that I won't, what if she tries?! I don't know what to do! Should I be Kal-El? Should I tell her who I am?!"  
  
Jonathan clapped his son on the shoulder, "Clark, you are Clark Kent, our son. Nothing will ever change that. Nothing. You are what you decide to be, not what some message in a spaceship says. Or what a Kryptonian girl says."  
  
Clark nodded; he was just too weary to argue.  
  
A/N: I'm SOOOOOOOOOOO sorry! I had a lot of trouble with this chapter! You people have no clue how hard it was to write. ::Sigh:: The whole thing had me stumped. Hope that it isn't too confusing. I tried. I still don't think it sounds great, but it was the best I could do. Ah well, keep the reviews coming! I also fixed some of the mistakes in earlier chapters......no major changes though.  
  
Silverfey: Thanks for calling it original; I try really hard to do that. And the language...well, it didn't take very long to make up, actually. The hard part is remembering what words I already have and re-looking them up. It's cool though, I don't mind. It's really quite fun. Now I know how Roddenbery felt making up Klingon and Vulcan. And about the whole related- ness: why not? It's not like I'm going to have them fall in love or anything!  
  
DuMont: :-P I stick my tongue out at you! Truthfully, my computer just hates me cause I make it work way to hard on the spelling errors as it is.  
  
Circe: You ACUTALLY like thunderstorms?! You're crazy. I remember that we had thunder once. It scared me to death. Hahaha, its like 90 out here! I'm going swimming already! :-P  
  
Knight/m: You and I would totally get along. I dress weird and I wear my makeup like Death from my favorite comic book The Sandman. Neil Gaiman rocks!  
  
William Rayne: I hope that you found this chapter interesting as well. Thanks for the comment of Lex; I hoped that it wouldn't seem too bad.  
  
Well, that's all for now! Bowdees! 


	5. Halftruths and Outright Lies

Experiment 001  
  
Chapter 5: Half-Truths and Outright Lies  
  
Lex Luthor looked a mess; one of the very few times he had allowed himself to be in such a state. His shirt was only half-tucked and horribly wrinkled. His mouth was frozen in a worried frown, and he wouldn't speak to anyone.  
  
Lex sat in a semi-comfortable chair at Alley's bedside. She had been asleep, having terrible nightmares since Lex had brought her home. He didn't dare leave her side, because every so often she would wake crying and call out for him. He would NOT have her wake alone. He couldn't make out everything she was saying in her tormented dreams, but he knew what the dreams were. Lex was her superhero. The only one who could save her from what happened.  
  
Or at least, Lex knew, that's how she saw it.  
  
How could he have been so stupid? He had made sure that they were as far away from each other as possible for years because he knew that Frampson would think that they would be together. But after ten years? Lex thought that Frampson would have forgotten about it by now! Or at least given up.  
  
Lex took her hand in his, raised it to his lips and kissed it. "I'll protect you. Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you."  
  
It was all Lionel's fault! His damn father. Frampson only wanted revenge for what Lionel did!  
  
Father...ha! Alley was the only family Lex had. Nothing would destroy that. Lex would die before he let anything happen. For years Lex had tried to get his father's love and approval; only to discover that he would never get it. But that was fine. Alley loved him. He hadn't even done anything to deserve that love. She simply did. And FINALLY he was able to be close enough to feel, without any shadow of a doubt, that someone cared about him, without wanting anything in return.  
  
Not that he had ever doubted her feelings, but one could never be too sure about anything.  
  
He sat there the entire night, whispering phrases in English and Kryptonian to soothe her nightmares.  
  
* * *  
  
The next day at school, there had to be at least one hundred different rumors about what has happened at the Talon. To make things worse, Alley wasn't there to stop them.  
  
Chloe and Pete had asked Clark to help them stop the rumors, but Clark was too preoccupied with him own problems. He couldn't even concentrate on school.  
  
By the time school was over, Clark had worked himself into a panic. If Lex did know, he was screwed in more ways than one. But if Lex didn't know...wouldn't asking about it just raise the Luthor's suspicion again? There had to be some covert way to ask! Unfortunately, Clark couldn't think of it.  
  
As soon as class was over, he walked half-heartedly to the Luthor estate. He dreaded going in, but it had to be done. He walked through the gate and front door. Slowly making his way to Lex's office. He was about to open the door, when a middle-aged woman wearing a black skirt-suit walked up. "I'm sorry, Mr. Luthor is busy today. Please come back tomorrow." She sounded more like a recorded message than a person.  
  
"Please," Clark said, hoping he sounded less desperate than he thought, "I have to talk to Lex."  
  
"Do you have an appointment?" The woman asked tartly.  
  
"No, I'm Clark Ke—"  
  
"It doesn't really matter who you are. Mr. Luthor asked not to be disturbed. Personal business."  
  
"It's alright," Lex said, sounding either exasperated or very tired, Clark couldn't tell which, until he looked at his older friend. Lex had circles under his eyes and his pants and shirt were badly wrinkled. Not to mention it was the same black slacks and navy blue shirt he had been wearing the day before. Lex sighed, "Is there something you need, Clark."  
  
"Actually," Clark shifted uncomfortably, "I wanted to talk to you about yesterday..." He let his words hang for a moment waiting for Lex to answer.  
  
Lex sighed, "Clark," he looked over to his assistant, "come in." He opened the door and walked into his office, Clark followed him. Lex closed the door once his friend was in, then walked straight to the mini-bar in the corner. He turned over a glass, sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose before letting out a guttural growl, snatching the glass and hurling it to the opposite wall.  
  
Clark stared at the shattered remains of the glass on the floor for a moment than looked back to Lex, who seemed to be trying to keep him temper under control. "Um..." Clark laughed, uneasily, "I think you might need that drink."  
  
"Alley doesn't like alcohol." Lex said without even thinking.  
  
Clark was stunned, "Does it really matter? It might calm you down."  
  
"It's everything, Clark," Lex looked at his friends with such sad eyes. "I'm a little different with her, if you hadn't noticed."  
  
"I still think you should have that drink."  
  
Lex smiled, "Maybe," he walked over to his desk and taped the intercom button, "Sophie, bring me a cup of coffee, black."  
  
A woman's voice answered back, "Yes, Mr. Luthor."  
  
Lex sighed again and rubbed his temples. "I'm guessing that the rumors have started to spread by know, and you were wondering what the truth is, right? Well, Clark, it's not mine to tell. But she never asked for what did happen. So just leave her alone. And tell Chloe the same thing; I'm sure she's trying to find out as much as she can. You can tell her, that if she prints anything, ANYTHING, I'll have lawyers all over her for sland—"  
  
"Whoa!" Clark said, "Lex, calm down. I'm not even here to ask about that. But, I did want to know if she was alright, I mean..."  
  
"She'll be fine," Lex answered quickly.  
  
"Who was that anyway?"  
  
"You said you weren't here to talk about Alley, Clark."  
  
"Oh, I just wanted to know. Is she in trouble?"  
  
"No, and I've taken care of it. He won't bother her again."  
  
"So has this—"  
  
"Clark, why are you here?"  
  
Clark swallowed, "I heard you talking yesterday, you said something about 'Krypton'..."  
  
"Forget you heard that, Clark." Lex cut him off. "I didn't think I said it loud enough for anyone to hear."  
  
"Forget it?" Clark was somewhat relieved, "Why?"  
  
"Because it has nothing to do with you, Clark!"  
  
Clark was startled by Lex's sharp tone. But if Lex said that is didn't have anything to do with him, his secret was safe.  
  
Lex sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose again. "If you see him around her again, will you just make sure that she gets away?"  
  
"Is she in danger, Lex?"  
  
"Just make sure she's alright, please, Clark?"  
  
Clark nodded, "Of course."  
  
There was a small knock on the door, "Come in," Lex called.  
  
The same black suited woman from the hall entered, "Your coffee, Mr. Luthor."  
  
"Thank you, Sophie." She set it on his desk and left.  
  
"Why don't you want to talk about Alley?"  
  
Lex looked straight into Clark's eyes, "Because I'll lie to you."  
  
Clark took a step back. He had been prepared for almost any answer except that one.  
  
Lex started to take a sip from the cup when a scream echoed through the stone walls of Lex's mansion. "Alexander!"  
  
Lex jumped up just as the side door was thrown open. Alley, wearing a black crop top and black pants that hung loosely at her hips stomped through, looking into a small compact, finishing putting on her eyeliner. Her hair was messily thrown into a strange half down, half pigtails, do, and she was obviously very agitated.  
  
"Alley?" Lex asked worriedly, "Are you alright?"  
  
"I'm going to be late for school! Why didn't you wake me up?!"  
  
"You didn't get any rest last night, and after yesterday you looked like you needed some. Besides, school is over."  
  
She dropped the small compact, shaking her head, "No," she whispered. "Alex, no. Don't say that! Please."  
  
Lex walked over and put his hand on her cheek, "Alley? Jo roewma. You're all right. Don't cry."  
  
"No, don't you remember school? I could have stopped it if I had been there! Now everyone—cy. Coham?! Coham, Alex?! Coham now?!"  
  
"It'll be okay. Kuay-ai?"  
  
She nodded, "I understand."  
  
Lex smiled slightly, "Have you met Clark Kent?" He motioned to where Clark was sitting.  
  
Alley's eyes followed Lex's hand and she smiled, "Yes, I sit next to him in homeroom." She bowed her head, "Hello, Clark, I'm sorry, but I'm not very presentable."  
  
Clark stammered for a moment, "Uh...it's okay. I actually came by to talk to Lex. But are you okay? Chloe was worried about you."  
  
"I thank you for your concern. And I heard you talking to Alex. You would do better to ask me, Alex will lie, just as he said he would."  
  
Clark swallowed, "I-I didn't mean—I was..."  
  
"It's alright, Clark," Lex said, "the only two people who know the full story."  
  
Clark's mind felt like mush. For the first time, he felt that Lex was telling the entire truth. The only problem was, Lex wasn't actually telling him anything!  
  
"Oh!" Lex said, "Alley, I almost forgot!" He walked back to his desk and opened a drawer. He pulled out a small jewelry box and instantly Clark felt a pain course through him that he knew all too well. "I found this and thought of you, so—"  
  
"Alex!" Clark looked over to Alley; she was hugging herself tightly and gasping as if she was in pain. "It's a meteor rock!"  
  
Lex threw the box back into the drawer and slammed it shut. "I'm sorry, Alley! I didn't...they told me it was emerald." Lex smiled slightly, "It's really pretty."  
  
Alley looked up, "Felt pretty big."  
  
Lex laughed. But his smile faded as he looked back at Clark. "Clark, I..." He swallowed.  
  
"Is that what you don't want anyone to know?" Clark tried to play it off, he hope that he was successful. He was excited and scared at the same time. That proved she was Kryptonian! Maybe she could tell him things about their home planet? Or his parents?! Or even the real reason he was there...  
  
"Lex," Alley put her hand on his shoulder, "You won't say anything, will you, Clark?"  
  
Clark shook his head.  
  
"That man," Alley started, "was a scientist, Dr. John Frampson. A mean scientist."  
  
"My father shut him down ten years ago," Lex continued.  
  
"Why?" Clark asked, even though he knew he didn't have to.  
  
"Inhumane experiments," Lex said slowly, looking at Alley. "On a seven year old child."  
  
Clark swallowed and took another look at Alley. She was staring at the floor. Fear started to bubble in his stomach, but he couldn't tell if it was for her or himself. If that man, Dr. John Frampson, wanted her, how would he feel about getting a male Kryptonian?  
  
"So that's what yesterday was about?" Clark asked, overstating the obvious.  
  
Lex nodded.  
  
"Alex," Alley said softly, "I'm going to go for a walk or something."  
  
"Sure," Lex answered.  
  
"Bye, Clark, see you tomorrow."  
  
"Bye," Clark smiled, not knowing what else to do.  
  
She walked past him, "I know, Kal-El." She whispered to low for Lex to hear. "But don't worry. I'll help you." And she walked out.  
  
Clark swallowed.  
  
"So, Clark, what did you come to talk about?" He smiled expectantly...  
  
A/N: Yay! Another chapter. Fun for me. I can't wait to finish (or at least get to the last chapters)...I don't know if I've said this before, but this is a fic explaining why Lex doesn't like Superman in the future (I like explanation fics). I know that every Superman series is completely its own, but you would think that they would all be, I don't know...similar! It just bugs me. But than again, Superman: The Red Sun...(if you're a major comic geek like me, you'll know what I'm talking about) GRR! That's another one! Lex Luthor is an evil, EVIL prick! A GENIOUS EVIL PRICK! But he's kinda nice in the show...sigh, it's like in the X-Men movie, they made Nightcrawler like 30 and Shadowcat 15...and Rogue in love with Wolverine! AHHH! Hollywood needs to leave my comics alone! Or we might next see the Fantastic Four getting their powers from aliens! Sigh, I'm gonna stop ranting. But yeah, I'm gonna take a few of the comic and/or cartoon things and add them in here, but I'll try to make it non-confusing for those who haven't read the comics. But Clark is gonna learn a lot about Krypton and his family. Heehee, poor Lex...(I know what's gonna happen and YOU~ don't!) Lol, sorry, I'm in a sarcastic mood. Please review!  
  
Oh, and sorrys for the sappiness in the beginning. That came to after watching the ep last week. And SPEAKING OF THE SHOW! Does anyone else have a horrible sinking suspicion that Dr. Swan is going to turn out to be Jor-El?! I swear that I'm gonna stop watching if they do that. The only way that they could make it worse is if they brought Jimmy Olsen in...he would be what? 2? Jeeze! I don't know, bringing in Lois or Supergirl would be bad too, I guess. But I don't know. I'll stop complaining. I have the whole week off so I'll update at least once more this week. Sorry for the delay, but this is the most stressful time for a high school senior! Ta ta!  
  
William Rayne: I didn't like that either...but if he could read Kryptonian cause of the download, he should be able to understand a little. But don't worry. Clark can't speak any, just understand a few words. Very common words. Like "need" (oy) "find" (qualey) and of course he knows "Kal-El"! That's his name! Heehee...I love writing in Kryptonian!  
  
Keggan: You loser! How about you actually read some of the story! Sigh....you aren't even up to this chapter yet. ::mumbles:: "How do you get...." Sheesh.....::shakes head sadly:: But I still love you! You are my personal superhero after all...  
  
DuMont: You'll see why she needs Kal-El a little later. Next chapter most likely. And thanks for telling my pc to be nice.....so far it's listened!  
  
Knight/m: Thanks...I had trouble with this chapter too. And creative? ME?! My art teacher might have something to say against that.  
  
Dimonah Tralon: Don't bet too much on that. You'll see why later. 


	6. Xisha tra Optmaju

Experiment 001  
  
Chapter 6: Xisha tra Optmaju  
  
Fifteen-year-old Lex sat across from Alli-Oxah; on the floor of the room that Lionel had given the young girl. She was looking at him expectantly; ready to learn the next tidbit that Lex would try to teach her.  
  
He had been surprised at how quickly she could learn anything, and at how incredibly smart she already was. Numbers were the first thing he had taught her. After all, mathematics was the universal language. Once they got beyond binary into our numerical system, he was amazed that this LITTLE girl knew a lot more mathematics than he did.  
  
Language was a completely different matter, though. He had nothing to start out with. Usually when one learned a language they started by translating things they already knew how to say...which wouldn't work, seeing how neither of them could speak the other's language.  
  
He sighed and rested his head on his fist. "Just staring at each other isn't going to get us anywhere, you know."  
  
Alli-Oxah sighed, too. "J-uh-ssst...star-stayr..." she huffed. "Jina watu."  
  
"Jee-nah-wah-too," Lex repeated nodding. "I don't know what your saying."  
  
The two sighed again.  
  
Both turned when the door was suddenly opened and Lionel walked in. He had a tired expression on his face, as if he was annoyed. "Lex, you have been at this for days. I've hired some of the best teachers, let them try. You need to go back to school."  
  
Lex stood quickly, "You can't do that!" He yelled, "She's afraid of everyone who comes in here! You've seen how strong she is, what do you think would happen if she got so scared that she thought she needed to defend herself? She's calmer when I'm around, and besides, half of those instructors already got fed up and left!"  
  
"It doesn't help that you keep telling them that they are not welcome!" Lionel snapped, dangerously quite.  
  
"Cyo tuy rytsu way optmaju," Alli-Oxah said, standing and stepping between the two. "Cyra optmaju." She put her hand on Lex's chest and Lionel's stomach, trying to separate them. "Tsukai?"  
  
Both stared at her blackly. "Lex," Lionel said, closing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose, "What is she doing?"  
  
Lex shrugged, "I don't know...maybe she wants us to stop?"  
  
"Have you explained to her that I am your father, and therefore have the right to make you listen to me?!" Lionel said, his voice rising with every word.  
  
"If I could explain that to her, would we be having this conversation?!" Lex yelled back.  
  
Alli-Oxah looked between the two, threw up her hands and sighed exasperatedly. "Qutiamar!" She walked away from the two. She jumped and turned to the door, just as it was opened. She ran and hid behind Lex. "Di sha? Alexander, yum cy?"  
  
Lex recognized that, she asked him that question every time someone she didn't know entered the room. He turned to her, looked into her eyes and said very calmly, "Just the maid, you're fine."  
  
The corners of Alli-Oxah's mouth pulled up slightly, to form a quick smile. "Qu-jshon re ie?" She said questioningly, pointing at the maid.  
  
"Anna," Lex said.  
  
"Un-nuh," Alli-Oxah repeated. She turned back to Lex and pointed to Lionel, "Qu-jshon re wara?"  
  
"Lionel Luthor," Lionel answered harshly before Lex had the chance. "Lex's father."  
  
Alli-Oxah cringed at the menacing tone. "Ly-in-ull, Lu-the-or." She looked back at Lex, "Jo jira?!"  
  
Lex gave her a look that told her he didn't understand.  
  
She put her hand up to her head, thinking, than her head sprang up and she looked around the room. She grabbed the shirt of her long sleeved flannel pajamas and rolled it up. She pointed to Lex, than to the rolled shirt, and proceeded to hold it as if it were a baby, rocking it back and forth. The she took Lionel's arms and put the shirt in them and moved his arms to make the same motion she had. "Jira? Cy?"  
  
Lionel threw the shirt down in disgust. "Lex, I can't have this. If you can teach her something in English, anything, in the next thirty minutes, I will let you teach her. But if you can't, you are going back to school, and she is getting a professional tutor." Then he stormed out of the room.  
  
Alli looked down, "Verso cyo..." she said defeated.  
  
Lex looked around the room, his father had been careless with that remark, "Anything..." he said slyly.  
  
Alli looked back up and around the room. Her eyes instantly went to a vase of fresh flowers that Anna had just set on Alli's dresser. She gasped, "Xisha!"  
  
Lex watched her walk to the vase and pull a flower out. She carefully ran her fingers over the petals, "Xisha..."  
  
Lex instantly got a brilliant idea. He mentally kicked himself for not thinking of it before. "Flower," he said slowly. "Flower."  
  
She looked up at him, "Fuh-lah-ow-wer?"  
  
Lex rushed up to her and touched the plant, "Flower."  
  
Alli smiled and took his hand, "Xi-sha," she annunciated very clearly.  
  
"Zee-shaa," Lex repeated. Looked like he had outsmarted his father, yet again.  
  
Lex walked into the living room of his Smallville mansion, quickly noticing Alley sitting on the reclining sofa in her pajamas with a small blanket covering her legs, her attention fixated on the television. He glanced at the screen then back to Alley, but instantly his eyes were drawn back to the screen. A half man, half beast in Renaissance clothing stood in a red hued cave with an orange haze blurring the sharpness of the focus. The shot turned into a close-up of the beast's face, his fangs bared and a tormented growl escaped his lips.  
  
"That's a little frightening," Lex said sarcastically. "What are you watching?"  
  
"Beauty and the Beast," Alley answered softly, her eyes remained glued to the screen. "Poor Vincent."  
  
Lex smiled, "Doesn't look very "Disney"," he looked back to the screen, "Who's Vincent?"  
  
"The beast," Alley said simply, "he has to save Kathryn."  
  
Lex smiled and sat down next to her, "You don't have to watch so intently you know, it's a TV show, he'll save her. I thought you hated Earth stories for just that reason."  
  
"I do. It's so fake. Sometimes you need that, though. Stories on Krypton were so different, more realistic. Here, the hero always saves the heroin." She paused for a moment. "The good guys always win in the end. Not real. So fake. Villain always waits to say the plan, gives the hero time."  
  
Alley looked at him, her eyes half-filled with tears. Lex instantly became concerned, "What's wrong? What are you thinking about?"  
  
A weary smile formed on her lips, "He's weird looking, but he's really sexy. So soft spoken."  
  
Lex knew that she was trying avoid the fact that she was actually thinking about what had happened at the Talon yesterday with Frampson. He would indulge her, this time, "That all?" He looked back at the screen, "Something I'd like to watch?"  
  
Alley shook her head, "Sappy '80's love story, live in different worlds. Good guy always wins." She nodded sadly, "Not real."  
  
He took her hand to comfort her, and was startled to find a Band-Aid on her index finger. "What's this?!" He asked worriedly.  
  
"I got a paper cut."  
  
Lex put a hand on her cheek and turned her head to look at him, "YOU got a paper cut?!"  
  
"Calm down, Alex, I told you I was getting my hair cut today, I was reading while he cut it." She smiled and pulled out a small, tarnished silver- colored box. "Can't get it cut without this opened a few clicks."  
  
"Then why the Band-Aid? Close the cube, it heals." Of course Lex knew how the box worked, he'd been the one who had it made for her to seem more normal.  
  
She shrugged, "Hair stylist gave it to me. I mean, I couldn't close it while he was cutting my hair, could I? Remember the first time? A single hair broke the ss—" she sighed, "Those cutting things."  
  
"Scissors," Lex corrected unconsciously, "I remember. I was just making sure you weren't sneaking into dark-rooms."  
  
Alley smiled, "Couldn't drag me into a red-lit room if you had all the glowing green meteor rocks on the planet."  
  
Lex nodded, "Why don't you go to sleep, you have to deal with the rumors about yesterday tomorrow."  
  
Alley sighed, "La tra." She looked back at the screen, the beast was caring a woman away from a fire, "Huh," she pointed to the screen, "he saved her."  
  
Chloe, Clark, and Pete walked down the hall of Smallville High. The bell had not yet rang, and truthfully, they had ulterior motives; they were looking for Alley. Clark had a different reason from Chloe and Pete, but they all still wanted to find her.  
  
Unfortunately, when they found her, she wasn't in one of the best situations. She was holding her folder tightly across her chest, trying to walk away from a boy who was laughing and shouting insults at her.  
  
The three sped up to get to her, but were too late. A jock, the same one who had made fun of her in home room, just two days before, grabbed the boy and flung him onto the lockers. The bang resonated through the hall and the jock roughly held him there. "You leave her alone!" He yelled. The boy nodded fearfully, and when the jock released him he ran very quickly away. "That goes for everyone!" The jock yelled, "You mess with her, you mess with me!"  
  
Clark stared for a moment, confused. He turned when he heard Pete congratulate Chloe. "Good job, Chloe." Pete said, giving the girl a high five.  
  
"Well, you helped," Chloe answered.  
  
Clark looked at each of his friends, then back to Alley. The jock was smiling at her.  
  
"You okay?" He asked, "Sorry about that. We'll make sure that no one messes with you. Chloe told us everything. And when Chloe says it, you can be sure it's true."  
  
Alley looked at him strangely. "Chloe told you what?"  
  
"About the guy. Your uncle." Alley continued to look at him in disbelief, so he continued, "How you got taken away from him, cause he hurt you, and now he wants you back?"  
  
Chloe ran up, and Alley looked at her accusingly. "Sorry, Alley," Chloe said quickly, "I know that you didn't want anyone to know, but I thought if Hank here knew, he could stop everyone from spreading rumors..."  
  
Alley nodded her understanding, "Yes, just do not tell anyone, please. It is hard to think about. I do not want to answer questions."  
  
Hank nodded, "I understand. Don't worry." He placed a beefy hand on her shoulder, in a comforting gesture, and held out his other hand, "You want me to carry your books to class?"  
  
Alley shook her head, "No, thank you, I can manage."  
  
Hank nodded and started walking.  
  
As soon as he was out of earshot, both Alley and Clark turned to Chloe, "What the heck was that about?" Clark asked accusingly.  
  
"Jeez, Clark, we asked you to help, but you were kind of out of it yesterday," Chloe said. "I knew that there would be some bad rumors about Alley going around, so I kind of used my reputation to get a few people to stop them."  
  
Alley smiled brightly, "You are a true friend, Chloe!" She hugged Chloe tightly.  
  
"Well, Pete helped, too."  
  
Alley looked at Pete, blushing slightly, her eyes met his, and she instantly looked back down. "Thank you," she said quietly.  
  
Pete smiled, "So, are you gonna tell us what really happened?"  
  
"Yeah," Chloe piped in, "Maybe we can help?"  
  
Alley looked up to Clark, then back to Chloe and Pete, "I-I...y-you wouldn't..." She sighed, "No, Alex and I can handle it."  
  
"Great," Chloe sighed, "another one with secrets."  
  
Alley looked back at Clark and kept her eyes on him for a long while. Clark started to shift uncomfortably under the piercing gaze. "I think we should get to class," Clark finally broke the silence.  
  
Alley nodded, "Yes, I don't want to be late."  
  
The rest of the day ran relatively smoothly, with the exception of one other comment about what had happened in the coffee shop; but that was easily solved by another jock who threatened a few unpleasant things if the comments continued.  
  
The final bell released the students and Chloe and Alley walked out together. "I can't thank you enough, Chloe," Alley said for the millionth time. "No one, with the exception of Alex has ever stood up for me before."  
  
"Well, you looked really scared. Whoever it was must have done something to make you so afraid; I didn't want everyone harassing you because of it."  
  
Alley smiled, "I am happy you did. I do not wish to think about him ever again."  
  
Chloe smiled and dropped the entire subject. Instead, she remembered the way Alley had acted earlier around Pete. "So...you were blushing when you said 'thank you' to Pete..."  
  
Alley lowered her head and blushed again, "Perhaps..."  
  
Chloe laughed, "You have a crush on PETE?!"  
  
Alley's head sprang up, "SHHHHH!!!" She cried, looking franticly to make sure that Pete wasn't around to hear. "Not so loud!"  
  
Chloe laughed, "That's a change, most girls instantly fall for Clark."  
  
Alley looked at her in disbelief. "Clark KENT? What would attract girls to him?!"  
  
Chloe became very defensive, but kept her tone joking, "And what's wrong with Clark Kent?!"  
  
Alley scoffed, as if it was as obvious as the sky was blue. Then she smiled, "You have a crush on Clark!"  
  
Chloe shook her head, "Do not!"  
  
Alley laughed, "Of course." She shook her head, "So, why do all the girls fall for Clark? Is he the best kisser on the planet or something?"  
  
Chloe shrugged, "I think it's that whole, straight as an arrow, goodie- goodie, farm-boy charm."  
  
Alley made a face, "Eh."  
  
"Not your thing?"  
  
Alley looked down at her outfit, "How can you tell?"  
  
"Well, Pete is Clark's best friend. Pete isn't too far off."  
  
Alley shook her head, "No, Pete is very different, trust me. Clark must have been born here, he sure fits in."  
  
"Actually, he was adopted. He found out his parents abandoned him, last year."  
  
Anger flashed on Alley's face, "Abandoned?!" She said incredulously.  
  
Chloe nodded, "Yeah, but he wouldn't tell me anymore."  
  
"Jor-El frai-shwane quwe," she muttered angrily.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Sorry," Alley shook her head, "That's terrible. It hurts knowing that your parents don't want you."  
  
"You were abandoned, too?"  
  
Alley shook her head, "Yes and no, my parents told me that I was no longer theirs. It was long before Alex took me in."  
  
"Why?! What happened?"  
  
"Things were different where I was from...I angered my parents, disgraced them, so they—"  
  
"Whoa, hold up, you said Lionel adopted you when you were seven, how old were you when your parents disowned you?!"  
  
Alley shook her head, "Old enough."  
  
"Wow, things must have been very different where you're from."  
  
Alley looked up at the clear blue of the afternoon sky, "Like you couldn't imagine," she sighed.  
  
Clark walked carelessly into his house. After talking to Lex yesterday he felt an odd mix of feelings. He was relieved to find that Lex knew nothing of his secret, but terrified at the positive, clenching proof that another Kryptonian was alive and knew about him.  
  
"Clark?" His mother called from the kitchen, "That you?"  
  
"Yeah, mom," he answered blandly.  
  
"Clark," his father walked toward him. "You never told us what happened yesterday with Lex. You need to tell us son."  
  
"She's from Krypton..." He said simply.  
  
"But what about Lex?" Martha asked.  
  
"No, he doesn't know. But what if she wants me to help her conquer the planet? I'm scared."  
  
A knock on the door halted their conversation. Martha walked up to the door and opened it. A young woman stood smiling.  
  
"Hello, ma'am. My name is Alli-Oxah. I was looking for Clark Kent, I sit behind him in homeroom and was wondering if he would tell me what I missed yesterday."  
  
Martha smiled at the girl's polite cheerfulness, "Of course, come in. I haven't seen you around before, did you just move here?"  
  
"Alley?" Clark asked, he and his father walked into the foyer, "Mom, dad, this is Lex's sister, Alli-Oxah."  
  
Martha's smile drooped a moment, but returned just as quickly, "So, how do you like Smallville?"  
  
"A tad small, but otherwise—" she looked at the three people in front of her and sighed. "Let's quit this act, I can tell that these people have been told. And seeing how only you, Alex, and I know, I'm guessing that you told them."  
  
Clark looked at his parents then back to Alley, "How—"  
  
She scoffed, "Come now, as soon as you mentioned I was Alex's sister her breathing jumped and her heart started beating faster. If you couldn't hear it, you could at least look through her and see it beating faster!"  
  
Jonathan swallowed hard, "So, Clark was right; how did you know."  
  
"He has his mother's eyes." She said, smiling softly, "And his father's nose."  
  
"You knew Jor-El?" Clark asked in breathless fear.  
  
"Of course, I was his Xia," she announced as if it explained everything. Then her face turned cold. "And while we are on that subject, what exactly are you telling people?!" He voice rose so she was practically yelling at him, "Fryt-Jor-El was the best father on all of Krypton! He would never have abandoned you! The only reason he sent you away was because the brain computer tricked everyone into believing—"  
  
"Hold on, what?!" Clark was confused.  
  
"Chloe said that you told her your parents abandoned you! First off, Fryt- Lara-El would have never let him, second, Fryt-Jor-El wouldn't! You were his pride and joy! He wanted to teach you everything from yoshmyr to—"  
  
"War strategies?" Clark asked bitterly.  
  
"War?!" Alley gasped, "What kind of people do you think Kryptonians were?! We were scientists! Jor-El was the best one! I was his...student. The only one who stayed after the council refused to believe that the brain computer was destroying us!"  
  
"What are you talking about?" Clark asked.  
  
"Your parents loved you, why do you think they would send you away?"  
  
"To conquer?"  
  
Alley laughed, "They wanted someone to survive. No one would listen to your father when he said the brain was killing our planet. I knew he was right, I did some of the experiments myself, but no one else believed him. He was striped of all rank because of it. All his Xio were taken away. But I stayed. I had to. I knew he was right. I was banished from my house, but I stayed and helped build the ships. Only I knew what it was like to have lived on Krypton. And you would survive as well. I would teach you, so that Krypton would not die."  
  
"What's a Brain Computer?"  
  
"It had come to our planet a hundred years before I was born. It said it wanted to learn about our way of life. Brain Computer is the closest translation I can come up with. But is destroyed our planet. NO one would believe Jor-El. They said it wasn't true. It knew how to cover it's tracks..."  
  
"But," Martha interrupted, "Your Clark's age."  
  
Alley laughed, "Hardly. I was seven and a half when I was forced off Krypton." Tears started to gather in her eyes. "Though I wish I had died with the rest of them!" Her voice was harsh and bitter. "You can't possibly understand what it's like to wake up to a sky that is BLUE! It makes me gag and wretch every time I see it! 'Intelligent' people only see the universe in four dimensions. You people know NOTHING! I had learned more by the time I was four, then the most advanced people on your planet learn in a lifetime! I was poked and prodded by "scientists" who have no concept of anatomy! They can't even figure out how the brain actually works. I hate it here! But my home is gone. And I can do nothing but try to survive."  
  
A/N: Whoo! I think I'll stop there. Alley will continue her rant next week. I hope you like. Sorry about the hiatus. Prom and other senior things making my life really stressful crept up. But my writer's block is over. Please review! I hope that you enjoyed this little extra. I made you wait, so it was only fair.  
  
And I finally got to introduce one of the most important pieces in the story. Alley's little sliver box. Watch for it.  
  
Oh, and for anyone who knows about the 80's "Beauty and the Beast" will get the whole foreshadowing in this chapter.  
  
Please review! 


	7. Do You Believe Me Now?

Experiment 001  
  
Chapter 7: Do You Believe Me Now?  
  
"Survive?" Martha asked.  
  
"Day by day," Alley continued. "That's the only way. Some days I don't think that I can stand it another second. But I have to. I swore that I would protect and teach Kal-El. I cannot break my promise. Fryt-Jor-El was as close to a father as I could get after I was banished. He was so nice. That is most likely why I do not appreciate rumors being spread about him." She sighed, "You most likely don't believe me, but what I am telling you is true. I swear it."  
  
Jonathan scoffed, "Clark, remember Kara? What if this is just another trick from Jor-El to get you away from us?"  
  
"Kara?" Alley asked, thinking, "That isn't a Kryptonian name..."  
  
The Kents all stared at her. "Really?" Jonathan asked mockingly, "Then what kind of name is it?"  
  
She looked at them with wide eyes, "Well, the name is from Krypton's sister planet—" She gasped, "It only destroyed—gee-ah ra! Ta...never...bru hio!" She spoke as if it was a curse, "But I don't have a computer fast enough! I could easily work that out! Simple geo...geometry." She turned to Clark, "That's what you call it, correct?" She turned, "The velocity of the fragm...unigr..." she started to mumble quickly in Kryptonian. "Do you have a piece of paper and a pencil?"  
  
Martha looked at her, "What for?"  
  
Alley shook her head annoyed, "Never mind. Krypton was not the only planet in our system which had life. Her sister planet also contained life. But when Krypton was destroyed, the brain must not have destroyed that planet. But they hated Kryptonians...why would they want Kal-El? Spite?" She thought for a moment, "The explosion must have done something...the gravitational forces..." she sighed exasperated, "I don't know all the words to describe it in English. If I had a Kryptonian computer I could work it out!" She sighed again, "'Take care of the ship...whatever happens, don't let the ship be destroyed'...you told me, but could I help it?! No! Now I'm stuck on this bru hio planet with nothing but my memory!"  
  
Clark sighed; he knew he would regret this later, "I still have my ship."  
  
"Clark!" Both of his parents gasped.  
  
"Mom, dad, maybe she can open it. Maybe she can tell me why it says to rule them—"  
  
Alley's head snapped up, she looked around and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen that had been sitting on the counter and quickly drew something on it. She held it up for Clark to see, "Did it look like this?!" Clark studied the picture and nodded. Alley started to laugh, "All children make that mistake! This means 'exist'!" She drew another picture on the paper, next to the first one. She held it up for Clark to see. They were almost identical, except the second had a small box with a dot inside it connected to it. "This means conquer!"  
  
Clark stared at the pictures. "You can read and write Kryptonian?"  
  
"Of course! I told you. I was working out the volume of twenty three dimensional universes when I was four! Reading and writing are nothing! Though I'm a little rusty, cause there is no real need to write. But I kept a journal in Kryptonian. I started it when I was first learning English." She opened her backpack and pulled out a small red book, "I've never shown it to anyone. Not even Alex."  
  
Clark took it and opened it. Inside were a lot of symbols, Clark recognized a few, but most of them were foreign to him. There were a few in particular that he recognized; "hate" and "afraid" were what stuck out the most.  
  
"But you—" She stopped and stared at Clark for a moment, "Have you ever had to cut your hair?"  
  
Clark was unprepared for the question. He stammered for a moment before he finally got out, "What?"  
  
"Your hair," she annunciated, "did you ever have to cut it?"  
  
Clark shook his head, "No, it doesn't grow longer than this." He was wondering what the heck this had to do with their conversation.  
  
She smiled widely. "He didn't think it would be important. But I did. Just like a girl, always thinking about looks, he said. I thought that maybe people on Earth wore their hair short, like on Krypton. I thought I could fix it, if I was wrong, but I just wanted to make sure that you would fit in."  
  
"How did you fix it?" Martha asked.  
  
"Well, I knew that the change in radiation of the suns would wreak havoc on our bodies, I didn't know how, or what it would do, exactly; I did experiments, but none turned out exactly like what has happened. Well, I created the...Fryt-Jor-El called them 'Alio', for me. They're little robots that keep your hair from growing longer than that."  
  
"You created?" Martha asked.  
  
Alley nodded, "Yes, I'm glad they worked. I spent a long time trying to perfect them." She giggled, "Longer than Fryt-Jor-El wanted me to."  
  
"Why do you keep calling him, 'Fryt'?" Jonathan asked.  
  
"Well, it's like a form of respect. Not unlike 'Mister'." She looked around, "So, the ship is undamaged?"  
  
Clark nodded, "But it seems to work on its own. Whenever I want it to do something, it won't open."  
  
"Well, have you asked it to?"  
  
"What?"  
  
Alley laughed, "It's voice activated. We kept it simple. Five words will open it."  
  
"And what five words are those?" Jonathan asked, sarcasm lacing his words.  
  
"May I show you?"  
  
Clark nodded and led the group out to the barn, and down into the cellar where his ship was kept.  
  
Alley ran her fingers across its hull. "So small..." She looked at the wing, where the small octagonal key was missing. "Where's the key?"  
  
"It was stolen," Jonathan eyed her, "this won't cause a problem, will it?" He knew she was going to make some excuse. She wasn't from Krypton.  
  
Her response surprised him, "Not in the least. The key was to open it without speaking. Tsukai mir la ui Alli-Oxah."  
  
Jonathan, Clark and Martha jumped as the ship started to emit an eerie red glow. A hum filled the cellar and the ship opened. The red light focused into a beam and a line of light stuck itself to Alley's forehead. As suddenly as the light appeared, it was gone, and Alley staggered back, shaking her head. "I had forgotten how strange that felt."  
  
Clark was stunned, to say the least, "What did you do?"  
  
"Tran...translation," she looked up for a moment, "Yeah, translation."  
  
"Translation? Of what?" Martha really didn't have to ask, because a moment later the entire cellar filled with the same red glow.  
  
"Alli-Oxah," a deep voice spoke, it was gentle and kind, and as smooth as silk. "My apprentice."  
  
Clark gasped, and heard the same reaction of awe from his parents. At the center of the red glow, a translucent image of a man stood. He was tall and regal, wearing a long black robe with an "S" inside a triangular pentagon on his chest. A thick black cord was tied around his head.  
  
Alley bowed her head, waved her left hand over both shoulders and extended then extended it to him, palm up. "Sir Jor-El."  
  
He returned the gesture, and placed his hand on hers. "You have grown, become a woman. This program has not been activated before now. What has happened?" The hologram's face contorted with worry, "My son? Does he live?"  
  
"Yes, my lord. He lives."  
  
Relief flooded his face and he smiled, "You look to be eighteen...my son is eleven? And hansom? He had so many qualities of his mother. He must be intelligent. Have you taught him well? Has he already begun multiphasic calculus? Any interest in science in general?"  
  
"Sir! Please, slow down. One of the stasis chambers malfunctioned."  
  
"Kal-El remains an infant?"  
  
"Kal-El is seventeen."  
  
Jor-El's smile widened into a full-toothed grin, "My son..." The smile faded. "I have no right to call him such. Did he find a family? One who loves him as Lara and I did?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"He must despise Lara and me."  
  
"He does not know you, Lord! He cannot speak Kryptonian. Nor read it..."  
  
"You were assigned to teach...!"  
  
"Lord! I did try. The chamber failed, as I said. For five years after we landed it kept me frozen. I was found by...scientists...it was not until now that I have found your son again. He lives as an Earthling. He knows nothing of his birth home."  
  
The figure nodded solemnly, "As it should be. And you? Did you find a family?"  
  
"For the most part. Though families on Earth are very unlike ours. Status is defined by wealth."  
  
Jor-El smiled, "As I reminded you it would. You must have been quite the protégé; your intellect was staggering for your age, even on Krypton."  
  
"No, milord," Alley lowered her head in shame. "The scientists did not understand, they destroyed the ship before the translation programs could run. I was unable to communicate."  
  
"Destroyed?" He asked, his head turned to the side, as if he was thinking. "If you could not communicate...how long where you there?"  
  
Alli-Oxah lowered her head and mumbled something.  
  
"You will answer your lord, apprentice!"  
  
"A year, milord."  
  
"What did you do?"  
  
"I gained knowledge."  
  
"If not on language, what?"  
  
"The Brain Computer polluted the fragments of Krypton. I cannot even have a memento from home. It emits radiation lethal to Kryptonians."  
  
"And Kal-El knows this?"  
  
"Yes, milord." She thought for a moment, "Clark," she said to the figure. "Clark Kent is the name he was given."  
  
"Clark-Kent." He smiled, "And the family of Kent, what is their status?"  
  
"They are here, milord, if you wish to speak to them."  
  
"I would," the figure answered.  
  
Alley looked back at the three people staring at the spaceship in shock. "Mr. Kent," she called. "Will you please speak to Lord Jor-El?"  
  
Jonathan didn't take his eyes away from the figure standing above the ship, "Why can he speak English?"  
  
Alley smiled, "He can't, that light was actually a neural reading device. Makes you think you're speaking each other's language. Can't you tell? My English isn't exactly this perfect. I haven't had to stop and think once?"  
  
Jonathan put his hand to his head, "Will this cause any damage?"  
  
"No."  
  
Jonathan nodded, not quite believing, and walked up to where Alley was. The figure bowed and repeated the same gesture of moving his hand over his shoulders and extending it palm up to Jonathan, which Alley had done to the figure. Jonathan looked over to Alley who was mimicking the gesture; telling him to do the same. Jonathan did it, and the figure straightened.  
  
"Lord Jonathan-Kent, of the House of Kent, I present myself to you. I am Lord Jor-El, Leader of the house of El...former leader of the House of El."  
  
"What do you mean, 'former'?"  
  
"Lord Jor-El is long dead. I am a holographic representation of his personality downloaded into this ship's memory core. And the Leader of the House of El would be my son, Kal-El."  
  
"His name is Clark."  
  
Jor-El nodded, "Do forgive me. You were the one who cared for him. I must remember that he is no longer seen as my son. Though you must believe, I loved my son."  
  
"Then why did you send him away?"  
  
"Our planet was dying. I had no choice. I could not leave with him, I was being traced, and Lara would not leave me. I had the ship eighty percent completed when Alli-Oxah told me that she had found some frightening information that she could not explain. I knew she was the most intelligent of my students. She found out on her own, and gave me what I thought was enough information to go to the Council, but they would not believe us. She helped finish the ship and we built another for her. I did not want our culture to die."  
  
Jonathan sighed, "I don't understand. He was a baby. How would that make your culture survive?"  
  
"That is why Alli-Oxah was sent. She grew up in our culture. She would teach him."  
  
"But she was only seven."  
  
"A very intelligent seven year old. My youngest apprentice. Brilliant in physics. Would have brought her house a great title when she was older."  
  
"Title?"  
  
"Yes, on Krypton a house's title was dependent on many things. Alli-Oxah would have been a great scientist. It is unfortunate that she was unable to learn English by the ship's translator. She would have given your planet an abundance of information that would have helped your evolution. It must be difficult for her. She has so much information in her brain, but she cannot convey it because she does not have the vocabulary."  
  
Martha could not wait any longer. She stepped closer to the hologram. "But why weren't we able to open the ship? Jonathan and I have always wondered why he was sent here, and what kind of people could send a baby away."  
  
"People with no other choice, my lady. You would be Jonathan-Kent's wife?"  
  
Martha nodded, "Yes, I'm Martha Kent."  
  
Jor-El smiled, he touched his forehead with his middle finger and touched Martha's forehead. She looked over to Alley who was giggling.  
  
"It's like a guy kissing your hand, here," Alley explained.  
  
"You are just as beautiful as my wife. And to answer your question, it is because the ship is voice activated, but in Kryptonian. Your language would have no effect on it."  
  
"But it has a mind of its own."  
  
"The only way the ship can react without a voice code is because of the key, or for a medical reason." The image wavered in front of them, "The memory banks are in disrepair. Alli-Oxah will repair them, if you wish. The crash jostled a few pieces loose. I will speak with you again, if you wish."  
  
Jonathan and Martha both nodded, and the hologram and the red light vanished.  
  
"Do you believe me now?" Alli-Oxah asked.  
  
Martha sighed, "I guess we have to. Although you might have to let this soak into our brains."  
  
Alley nodded, "I would understand. It must be...uncom...difficult, to have it said so quickly. I am sorry. But if you wish, I shall repa...fix the ship so that you may speak whenever you wish."  
  
Martha smiled, "Thank you."  
  
Alley nodded, "I shall see you tomorrow at school, Clark." With that she said good bye to Jonathan and left the barn.  
  
Jonathan and Martha looked over at Clark, who had not said a word, who was just staring at the ship. "Clark," his father asked, "are you alright."  
  
"They were scientists," Clark said. "I-I...they..."  
  
"Clark," Martha put her arms around her son. "They wanted you to live, Clark. They wanted to make sure you would have everything you could."  
  
"I'm, I'm just going to go to sleep, okay?"  
  
Martha looked at Jonathan, "Sure, Clark."

Alley was slowly making her way back to the Luthor mansion. The sun was setting and she didn't feel like running, even though it would make her get back in just a few seconds. The reddish glow made her feel like she was back on Krypton. Back when she was considered one of the brightest minds on the planet. When she was able to conduct experiments no matter how much they cost, because she was smart enough to make everything sound worthwhile to the Council; with the help of Jor-El of course. She laughed; she had almost forgotten what Jor-El had looked like.  
  
The thought of anything from her home gave her the hope she needed. With that stupid scientist looking for her, she would have to watch out.  
  
Jor-El had been right though, it did drive her crazy that she could hardly answer questions in math or science just because she didn't have the terminology. She knew more about quantum physics than Stephen Hawking; but she couldn't tell you what a black hole was. A symi-waz typ, on the other hand, was a collapsed star or other large matter that had collapsed in on itself and had the gravity to suck in everything close enough.  
  
And math...that drove her even more insane. She had no idea what "pi" meant. Pi to her was an edible desert filled with some kind of random fruit. She had no idea why Earthlings would call something with numbers a pi. Even numbers gave her a difficult time. They were hard to remember. Sometimes she would even shout answers in Kryptonian if she didn't correct herself quickly enough.  
  
But she lived on Earth now. She'd just have to get use to it.  
  
She felt a slight twinge run through her entire body, and stopped for a moment.  
  
A meteor was close.  
  
'Great,' she thought, 'just what I need.'  
  
She looked around for the source. A car was parked on the side of the road, not ten feet away. She shrugged and started walking. If she just kept walking she would be away from soon and just walking past it couldn't hurt her too badly. Sure it made her feel very uncomfortable, but it didn't feel deadly. And if she had to be that close to feel it, it had to be pretty small.  
  
"I know you feel it," a man standing next to the car said. "It's the only protection I have against you."  
  
Alley didn't even think twice, she just started to run. But she couldn't get past the car. It was as if suddenly the entire car was made of the meteor rocks. She fell to her knees, cringing, and trying not to cry out.  
  
"Be a good alien and get in the car. I need that Nobel Prize. No, I deserve it."  
  
A/N: I'm soooooooo sorry! I know it took me forever to get this chapter up. But I had some difficulties with writer's block, random stress, and all and all making this chapter make sense.  
  
Please review! I'll have the next chapter up before I leave for Alaska!  
  
Please review! 


	8. Pete's Decision

Experiment 001  
  
Chapter 8: Pete's Decision  
  
Pete couldn't understand the sudden need he felt to go to Clark's house. He just had a gut feeling that he needed to be there. As he drove, his uneasiness grew. Had Alley said something? Clark hadn't really talked about what her...he hadn't really talked about anything. And that frightened Pete. Clark had been out of it so badly since that event at the Talon.  
  
Pete was starting to worry that Lex had done something. Maybe Alley had just been bait to lure Clark into some kind of trap? Or maybe the reason Clark had been acting so strangely was because Lex had Clark's parents and was using them against him?!  
  
He wasn't sure, but he knew that Clark needed him. Something in the back of his head was screaming at him.  
  
As he drove, he noticed a car on the side of the rode. Its driver stood next to it. Nothing too out of the ordinary. But what caught Pete's eye did. In the reddish glow of dusk, the inside of a car would not glow radioactive green. Pete quickly pulled the car over right in front of the "broken down" vehicle and jumped out.  
  
He took a deep breath to try to calm his nerves. He couldn't help Clark if whoever it was caught him too. "Can I help you, sir?"  
  
The man looked up and Pete quickly noticed that it was the man who had attacked Alley at the Talon. "No!" He said far too quickly. "I have everything under control!"  
  
"Pete...?" A feminine voice whispered. "Pete...help me..."  
  
"Alley!" Pete called back. He looked into the back window; Alley looked up at him with tear filled eyes. Her hands were behind her back, and her ankles were bound together by zip-ties. He looked at the man, "What the hell...?"  
  
"Pete...help me," Alley begged, "tsukai...don't let him..."  
  
Pete turned to the man just as the man swung his fist at him. Pete ducked at the last second and swung back. He caught the man in his midsection and as the man doubled over, hit him on the head with all of his might. As the man crumpled to the ground, semi-unconscious, Pete threw the door open and pulled Alley out.  
  
He scooped her into his arms; he had nothing to cut the zip-ties that bound her wrists and ankles. "You're alright! I got you," he tried to soothe her.  
  
"Pete..." she continued to cry. Her body shook uncontrollably, her face was incredibly pale, and her skin was icy to the touch.  
  
"Don't worry," Pete answered, carrying her to his car, "I'm going to get you to a hospital. You'll be okay."  
  
"No," she answered weakly. "No, hos-tal..." She paused for a moment, "Alex...home. Pleas...take me..."  
  
Pete felt that his brain was working in slow-motion. He carefully put her in the car and got in himself. He was unsure weather or not he should take her to a hospital. She looked pretty bad. What if that man had done something to her? What if he had given her some type of drugs?! "Alley, I have to take you to a hospital!"  
  
"Cy...won't understand. Alex...Alex inay...way-ai...shjon...Kal-El...no...protect Kal- El."  
  
Pete watched her for a moment, then made his decision.  
  
A/N: Sorry about the delay people. I never did go to Alaska. A lot has happened to me in the past 2 weeks. But writing is my therapy. Always has been.  
  
The last chapter was the mid point of the story, it is not by far the climax, but yeah, the last chapter gave you the last of most of the information, so now we can get to the real story. I'm not exactly in a happy mood, so my writing might reflect that...this story has been labeled "angst" from the beginning, so now you will start to see more of that.  
  
This is not a very funny fic, I'm sorry to say, but if it gets too sad, leave me a review saying that it could use a joke or two. I'll try to oblige. Sometimes angst can be a little too much, a joke every now and then is good.  
  
So, I believe I will get to writing more. It helps to get out of reality sometimes.  
  
Please review. 


	9. Never Again

Experiment 001  
  
Chapter 9: Never Again...  
  
Lex sat in front of the fireplace in his office, a book on his lap, a hot cup of black coffee in his hand. He had wanted to read and relax, but somehow, his mind would not relax.  
  
Alley had told him that she was going to do something after school; but she said that she would be home before dusk. He should have gone with her. If something happened to her, he would never forgive himself. Frampson was out there, and so was Alley.  
  
She was all alone.  
  
He smiled, not that she couldn't take care of herself. She could pick up an SUV with only one hand.  
  
But that didn't stop him from worrying about her. Sometimes she forgot that she was different and fear stopped her from using any of her power.  
  
Like at the Talon.  
  
Whenever Frampson was around, her mind brought her back to that little glass cage under controlled red lights, where she was cut, poked, prodded, electrified, and all the other horrific things Frampson thought an alien being should be subjected to. She had begged them to stop. But they paid no attention to her crying or her screams. They didn't realize that they had a child. An incredibly intelligent child, as it turned out; but they believed that she was a fully mature extraterrestrial being. But she was just a scared little girl, who was the last of her kind.  
  
And after they found out that the meteor rocks had an impact on her, they had even injected a tiny amount into her bloodstream.  
  
It had not been enough to kill her, though she had told Lex she had wished it had. She didn't remember how long she was paralyzed, barely able to breathe, with her entire body feeling like it was on fire, but she was conscious for ever second of it.  
  
Lex would not have that happen to her again. He had snuck Frampson's notes from his father's briefcase, he had read his report. How four days after she was injected with the serum, she finally collapsed. How he would not allow anyone to help her. How he had wanted to up the dose to see how she would react.  
  
Frampson was insane. He would kill Alley and not think twice about it.  
  
Alley was too important to Lex. She was too kind, too generous; too loving...she needed him.  
  
Or rather, he needed her.  
  
He looked down at the book in his lap. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, he smiled again. Alley had given it to him; she said that if a real alien can laugh at it, a human should be able to. Even if he had read most of it because Alley kept asking what every other word meant.  
  
Yelling from the other side of the door shook him out of his memories. The door burst open, and before he could say anything, his heart stopped.  
  
"Lex, help me!" Pete called.  
  
Lex rushed and took Alley's shaking body from the young man. "What...what happened?!" His eyes searched her for anything that might cause her to be so ill. "Get the scissors in my desk. Alley, Alli-Oxah, Alley! Talk to me!"  
  
Pete ran to Lex's desk and started pulling open drawers until he found a pair of scissors, which he took back to Alley and cut the ties that bound her legs and arms.  
  
"Al...ex," Alley started slowly, tears fell from her eyes. She reached up her hand to touch his face, "Tsukai..."  
  
Lex hugged her close, "Alley, what's wrong?!"  
  
"Meteor..."  
  
Pete just stared while panic seized Lex. "Where, Alley?! Alley! Answer me!" But she had fallen unconscious. "What happened to her?!" Lex asked, turning to Pete.  
  
"I was driving to Clark's, there was a car on the side of the road, it was glowing a green color, when I stopped to see who it was, it was that guy from the Talon-"  
  
"Frampson?!" He looked back at his sister, and started searching for something in her pockets.  
  
"Who's Frampson?"  
  
Lex ignored him, "Alley, Alley wake up. Alley you have to tell me what happened! Alley!"  
  
Alley's eyes fluttered halfway open, "Needle..."  
  
Horror flashed over Lex's face, "Where, Alley?!"  
  
"Sh-shoulder..."  
  
Lex pushed up her sleeves and found a green plastic square. He touched it and found that it was attached to a tiny tube that was imbedded under her skin. He quickly pulled it out. Alley screamed. "I'm sorry," Lex said, he pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket and clamped it over her now bleeding shoulder. "Pete, there's a metal box in the bottom left drawer, put that in it!"  
  
Pete grabbed the little square and took it to the drawer, when he opened it he noticed that it was filled with pieces of Kryptonite. He dropped the square in and closed the box. He looked back at Lex; he was sitting on the floor rocking Alley back. The girl was still shaking, but looked a little better.  
  
"Pete, turn on ever light in the room."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Just turn on all the lights!" Lex yelled. "It's okay, Alley, yellow light. It'll help. Shh...I have you. The box? Alley, is the box open?"  
  
"Don...don know."  
  
The room got brighter, and Lex searched her pockets once again. He found the small tarnished silver colored box that had a green light shining out of one end. He quickly closed the box and threw it across the room. "There, Alley. All gone. It's alright, your safe. You're safe."  
  
"Burns...Alex, tsukai...inay-ta... ji-say...cyo..."  
  
Pete listened, "What is she saying?"  
  
Lex searched her face. "Random words...she isn't saying anything. She's asking for help. But then it's just gibberish."  
  
"Lex, what's going on? Who was that, why does he want to hurt her?"  
  
Lex continued to ignore Pete. "Where did you find her?"  
  
"O-on the road to Clark's."  
  
Lex nodded and stood, he placed Alley carefully on the couch and walked to his desk. He picked up the phone and pressed a button, "Sophie, get me the police," he paused, "Yes, this is Lex Luthor. I want to report an assault...no. No, I can't. No. Not me. No, I don't need an ambulance! No, damn it! I need..." He gave an exasperated growl and threw the phone back on the hook. "Pete, thank you," he said gruffly, he walked to the couch and scooped Alley into his arms, "goodnight."  
  
Pete watched as Lex left the room. He didn't know what he should do. He guessed that the best thing would be for him to go back home, but he wanted some answers. He hated to do what he knew he would have to do, Alley seemed to have enough trouble; but if you wanted to know something in Smallville, there was only one person to go to.  
  
Chloe.  
  
A/N: A short chapter I know, but I wanted to get another one out quickly. I hope it wasn't too boring...I didn't know what else to write. I have the next chapter started, but I'm not sure when I'll be getting it posted. I'm trying to find a job...not exactly easy, but I need one. I just wish I could find a job where I don't have to deal with people. I did that for 2 years, I don't think I could stand it anymore.  
  
Well, please leave a review! 


	10. Burn the Midnight Oil

Experiment 001

Chapter 10: Burn the Midnight Oil

Burn the midnight oil...that seemed to be the motto Chloe lived by. How else was such a teen, so driven by journalism supposed to get any work peace while researching a potential story? Especially if that research involved a process that was just barely legal, if not entirely illegal.

She hated to do this to someone who was obviously having a hard time dealing with everything that had been happening, but Chloe was an investigative journalist. Besides, it wasn't as is she would print anything that might hurt her. This was just for her own personal knowledge. Well...at least that was how she wanted to think it was.

She wanted to believe that she wouldn't write anything; but in all honesty, she wasn't too sure she would be able to stop herself. The only thing that she felt she knew for sure was that her mind wasn't going to allow her any rest until she found out something, anything, that answered her questions.

She had snuck into the school's records and had "borrowed" Alli-Oxah Luthor's file. Unfortunately, the oddest thing about it was that there was nothing odd about it. She wasn't a horrible student, but she wasn't valedictorian material either. She had never gotten into a fight. Never been disciplined. Alley just seemed to be a normal girl.

She did well in math though. She never received anything but straight "A"s. Language Arts was an entirely different matter. It seemed that she barely squeezed by. But that didn't make any since to Chloe, Alley was a beautiful writer. It was obvious that that she tripped over her words constantly and had to think a great deal to speak though...Chloe was getting immensely frustrated. Every bit of information conflicted with every other bit of information!

She had returned that file, more frustrated and craving more answers than she had when she started. Her "contact" had gotten a few more files from Metropolis that she had asked him for. Right now it was safely held in her right hand. She sat down at a desk in the journalism classroom and opened the files.

Odd...

Alli-Oxah did not exist until Lionel's adoption in 1994. There was no social security number. No hospital record. Not even a birth certificate. There were no immigration records to say that she was from a different country. It was as if she had just suddenly appeared out of thin air.

Almost like Clark...

Interesting.

Lionel didn't have Alley on any documents either. She was legally the heir to the Luthor fortune but there was nothing to say that. She didn't even have any insurance. No medical, no dental...though her name was on car insurance in four different states.

Chloe almost jumped out of her skin when she heard her cell phone ring. Her fingers fumbled nervously as she opened it, "Hello?"

"Chloe, Chloe. Hi, I...I need your help."

"Pete? What's wrong?"

"Where are you? I've been trying to get a hold of you for hours! You weren't picking up your cell..."

"Pete, calm down," she said, worry starting to bubble in her stomach along with the guilt that had already been there. "I'm at school, what's wrong?"

Pete sighed on the other end, "I'll be right there." And he hung up.

Chloe was confused at first; Pete knew that she almost always stayed at school. She also wasn't sure if she should hide the files or not. She was sure that Pete knew exactly what she had been doing anyway, but she decided to lock them in the filing cabinet.

Pete was there in a matter of minutes and he didn't waste anytime, "Chloe, I need your help."

Chloe wasn't sure exactly how to respond. "Hello to you too."

Pete gave an exasperated sigh, "I don't have time for jokes, Chloe! I need you to help me find out everything about Alley!"

"Why?" Weren't he and Clark trying to stop her from doing exactly that?

Pete sighed again. He put a hand up to his head and slumped into the nearest chair, "Cause I found her tied up and drugged, being kidnapped by the same guy that attacked her in the Talon." Chloe's eyes widened. "Lex called him Frampson, I think."

"Frampson?" Chloe repeated, taking a seat at her computer, quickly she started typing madly. A picture filled the screen. "This him?" Pete nodded. "John Anthony Frampson, Ph.D. He was in charge of Luthor Corp.'s science lab in Virginia...Something called, 'Experiment 001'."

Pete stood and walked to better see the screen, "How'd you get this so quick?"

Chloe shrugged, not wanting to tell him that she had already started looking up the man's background only an hour after Alley had been attacked in the Talon. "He was fired after five and a half years for illegal and inhumane experiments," she read aloud. "After a routine check by Lionel Luthor himself, the entire project was shut down. Frampson went to prison for a few years...but was put back in again a year after he was released for breaking and entering and assault. He was released again, two weeks ago on good behavior."

"Yeah, well, I don't think he was taking Alley out for coffee."

Chloe frowned, "Look at this, it says here that he believes he was working on an alien being for Luthor Corp. He also vowed that he would prove aliens existed. Wow, what a wacko."

"And he thinks Alley is this creature he was working on?"

"I guess...but why would he think that?" Chloe's eyes suddenly went wide; she pulled the file out of the cabinet and started searching for something. Suddenly her face drained of color, "Look at this. Less than a week after 'Experiment 001 was shut down; Lionel adopted Alley from an orphanage in the same city as the lab."

"So what? I bet a bunch of kids were adopted from that place."

"Yeah, but Alley didn't have any records, she had been anonymously dropped at the orphanage just two days earlier! Don't you think that it's a little strange for a seven year old to be dumped at an orphanage? She couldn't even speak English."

"How do you know that?"

"Alley let it slip to me that Lex was the one who taught her English."

"So you are saying that Alley is an alien that Lionel Luthor had captured and had experiments conducted on it, but when he saw what it was, he decided to adopt it instead?"

"She isn't an alien; Frampson can just be after revenge. And it says that Frampson has more than his fair share of mental illnesses. Wow, why did they even release him?! He probably just got it into his head that she is this experiment and now believes it."

Pete sighed and sat back down, he knew better. Alley was an alien. She was from the same planet as Clark. And if Frampson knew about Alley, it was only a matter of time before he found out about Clark.

A/N: Heehee, sorry it took so long. Hope you like it. I'm writing the next chapter as you read! Please review!

Rebel Goddess- Sorry...but I needed to have the Kryptonite be under her skin. Don't worry...Chloe won't cause too much trouble!

Jer- How did you know I was blushing?! What you said was really nice. Thank you. I work very hard on my stories, original or fanfiction. I hope that I can continue to be as good as you're review says....lol, wish me luck :-P

Leave a review!


	11. KalEl?

Experiment 001

Chapter 11: "Kal-El"?

Lex allowed a single tear to fall from his eye, but no more. He couldn't let Alley see him cry. Not over this. She needed him to be strong because she couldn't be. It had been three hours and her body still shook. She gripped his shirt in her hands as if she was terrified he would leave her; but he never would. Not when she was like this. He just wished he was more up on his Kryptonian. She kept mumbling but he could only understand about half of what she said.

She did keep repeating the word "Kal-El". Lex asked her to explain what it was, but she wasn't herself at the moment. She was so pale.

He didn't understand why she was able to make all of his barriers instantly fall. He was too open with her for his own good, but he couldn't help himself. She just knew how.

He pushed a stray piece of her chocolate hair out of her face, her matching eyes searched his. "Alex?" She asked. "I still feel it." She clamped her eyes shut as another tremor rocked through her body, "He...put it..." she whispered, "get the police. Make him stop."

"I will, Alley. Try to rest. I'll stay here. He can't get you here. I promise; he can't."

She reached her hand clumsily to her face and wiped the sweat from her forehead, "It's cold, Alex. ...blanket?"

Lex took the quilt that had been lying on the top of the couch, and spread it over her. "Here, Alley, don't worry. Is that better?"

Her eyes fluttered wearily, "Better..."

Lex tightened his arms around her shaking body and watched as she fell asleep. It would appear that he would not be getting much sleep this night. Not that he minded. He wanted time to think about a way to get Frampson. Getting another Restraining Order would be useless; they had never worked in the past, why would they work now?

Alley snuggled closer to him, obviously dreaming, "Pete...shi-ay."

Lex smiled, that was Alley, every girl who came to Smallville instantly fell for Clark Kent; leave it to a Luthor, even if only an adopted one, to be different.

Pete and Chloe hadn't even realized the sun had risen until the school started to fill with teachers. They had worked through the night searching through every bit of information they could get their hands on. Alley was still a complete mystery to them.

"You could have simply asked, you know."

Chloe and Pete nearly jumped out of their skin when they heard Alley speak. They turned to see her reading the notes they had written. "We...uh, that is..." Chloe made an attempt to explain.

"It is fine," Alley smiled. "You will make a fine journalist, Chloe. Very thorough. I was actually looking for Pete. I wanted to thank you."

Pete shrugged, "It was nothing."

Alley lowered her head and chuckled, "It was everything. Believe me. Dr. Frampson would have killed me if you had not helped me so quickly. Thank you. But I do ask, do not look for answers on that thing," she pointed to the computer. "If you wish to know something, ask. If I believe you should know, I shall inform you. It would be dangerous for you to know too much."

"We could help you!" Chloe argued. "You don't have to fight alone."

Alley looked over to Pete, "I'm not alone," she looked back to Chloe, "I have Alex. I know he's doing everything he can. Which, I believe might be a lot more than you could. I thank you, but this is not something just anyone can help me with. You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

Pete sighed, "You're from Krypton, aren't you?"

Alley's body immediately tensed and her attention snapped to him, "You know of Kal-El." It was a statement, not a question.

"Kal-El?" Chloe asked.

It suddenly hit Pete that Chloe was in the room, "Uh...yeah, umm..."

A/N: That seemed to be a good place to stop. I know, I know. I'm sorry it took so long. I'm trying to get use to college. Now that I'm back into a routine I should be updating about every week or at least every other week. I watched the new episode on Wednesday...I'm confused...why does Lex need to have his blood cleaned????? Why was he in the desert? And what the FK????!!!! LOIS LANE?????!!!!!!! Are the writers freaking crazy?! Sigh...that annoyed me. But I'm glad it's back. I hope to get chapters up faster. Ttfn all!

Please leave a review!


	12. Two Hours Prior

Experiment 001

Chapter 12: Two Hours Prior

Lex woke around 6:30 a.m. He stretched and became instantly aware that he had slept badly. He arched his back and brought his hands to wipe the sleep from his eyes when he remembered exactly why he had slept so badly. He jerked into a sitting position, completely ignoring his protesting muscles, "Alley?" He called fearfully. When he received no response he pushed himself to his feet and called more loudly, "Alley, answer me!" Even if she was in another room she should be able to hear him...she could hear a pin drop a mile away. "Alley!"

"No need to shout, Alex."

Lex nearly jumped out of his skin. He turned to see Alley brushing her dripping hair, with a smile on her face. He took a breath to slow the beating of his heart, and smiled, "Hey, don't do that. How did you get away without me noticing? And are you okay?"

Alley smiled, "Cause I know you. And yeah, I will be. Just got to re-quaw-sha. Get the...blood....moving?"

"Flowing, but close enough. What do you mean, you know me? I'm probably the lightest sleeper on the planet how did you walk across this hardwood floor and I not wake up?" He wore a smile to make sure Alley would know that he was joking.

Alley closed her eyes and seemed to grow a few inches. "Who said anything about walking?"

Lex looked at her feet and shook his head. "I wouldn't stay like that for long, someone might take notice."

Alley shrugged. "It helps. Just like the sun. Makes those rocks get out of my system quicker. I've been running around all morning. Still feel hot and cold together, but most of it is gone. I believe he just wanted to make me not able to fight."

Lex nodded, the smile vanishing and taking his light mood with it. "I'm sorry. I should have been there. I knew I shouldn't have let you go alone. I don't want you going anywhere alone."

"I don't want to go anywhere alone. But I have to go to school. I have to find Pete. I have to...to thank him."

Lex smiled, "Thank him, yes. Though it might help if you actually said something about your feelings. Not that I'm prying into your life or anything."

Alley blushed, "Tell him? I'll start rambling in Kryptonian, and he'll laugh at me. Besides...he..."

"I could always tell him for you."

"CY!!!! You wouldn't dare!"

Lex laughed, "Course not. But after what happened here last night—"

"He probably doesn't want to ever see me again."

Lex smiled, "You want to go talk to him. I'll take you. Finish getting ready, I'll be waiting."

"And if I don't?"

"I'll go talk to him for you."

She stuck out her tongue, "Frushau."

Lex smiled, "Such language."

Alley smiled, "Jor-El would kill me if he heard me."

Lex smiled, "I might not be the better teacher, but at least I'm more fun." He saw Alley smile and continued, "What does Kal-El mean?"

Alley looked away and started to brush her hair again, "I-I have to finish getting ready. I wa-want to be there early enough to talk to Pete."

"Alli-Oxah, talk to me. Tsukai. You have been avoiding that question for days."

"Kal-El is the reason I was sent here, Alex." She lowered her head, "I didn't do what I was supposed to. He was so little, I-I was supposed to help him. I-I messed up. The ship didn't work right." Tears started to gather in her eyes, "I didn't do it right. And he was all alone."

"He?!" Lex asked, he put his hands on her shoulders, and as the first tear started to fall, he wiped it away. "Kal-El is a he?"

"Jor-El's only son."

"What?!"

"I was sent here to make sure Krypton stayed alive. To make sure that someone knew that it had existed. And to make sure that someone lived. To make the computer wrong. To maybe one day get justice for what was done. Krypton was a noble planet, Alex. And I won't let anyone disgrace that. We allowed ourselves to be fooled, but you can not damn us for one mistake. Even if it cost us everything. We let our ignorance rule. We trusted when we should not have. Unfortunately, trust is something Kryptonians give long before it is earned, that is just how we are. Alex, everything is confusing. Kal-El doesn't know anything he's supposed to. I failed. And I don't know how to fix it. I don't even know if I can. He thinks that Kryptonian's were monsters. I can't let him keep thinking that. I can't tell you any more, Alex. I'm sorry. But I just can't. No one can know about Kal-El. Frampson can't get him. I failed once, I won't fail again. I held him, rocked him, sang him to sleep. He was an infant. His father taught me, and when he was old enough, I was to teach him."

So many thoughts flitted through Lex's mind. One in particular that he had suspected for over three years. But it was shot down at her last sentence. "Kal-El is younger than you?"

Alley nodded, "By seven years." She shrugged, "Or close enough. Seven on Krypton. It gets messed up. Days were longer, years where shorter, it about evens out. But not exactly."

"Alley, tell—"

"Will you just trust me that I can't?"

"Will you at least tell me why?"

"Let me protect you, for once?"

Lex nodded, "I don't like secrets, Alley."

"Then it's not a secret. It's just waiting to be told."

"When?"

"When this is over. When I can not be afraid. When I know that it won't hurt you."

Lex didn't like the thought of her having do deal with this alone. He protected her, not the other way around. "And when will that be?"

"Soon."

Alley wouldn't look him in the eye. She didn't like to keep secrets, she never had. The only conclusion Lex could draw was that she was trying to protect Kal-El. Seven years...eleven. An eleven year old, how was an eleven year old boy supposed to deal with being told that he was from another planet? She felt guilty for not doing what she was supposed to. "Alley it wasn't your fault! Frampson is the one who made you lose everything. Jor-El would forgive you."

Alley gave a weak smile. "I should finish getting ready. I need to get to school."

"Alley, don't run away."

"I'm not. I won't let Frampson control me. I have to go to school. He won't see me weak."

Lex nodded. "I'll be waiting."

A/N: I thought that I would make all of you sweat for just a while longer. Next week I'll give more on Pete's little slip. I hope the title helps, but this actually happened before Alley was brought to school. This chapter was twice as long, cause it included what happened with Pete and Chloe and Alley...but I decided to wait on that. Next week people. That's all. Be patient. I just watched the behind the scenes thing for Smallville. It was interesting. Michael Rosenbaum is so sexy. I love Lex. Clark Kent...::shrugs:: not my type. But the special was informative. I've always thought that Lex just wanted someone to care, I mean REALLY care. That's why I came up with Alley. Too bad...you think I could change this into a script form, fix the little errors that have come up due to new info from the eps, and send it in? I mean, wait till I finish the entire thing before you really decide, but yeah. Sigh...I don't think it would work so well without Pete though. And I refuse to change her interest to Clark, I mean, to her Clark is the baby she sang to sleep and changed diapers for....ew. But I'm glad Chloe really didn't die. The whole Lois thing bothers me. But...yeah. Please review. Tell me what you think so far. This fic is slowly coming to an end. But I find that I need to say a lot more about the Lex/Alley relationship and the Pete/Alley one. Hmmm....I have some thinking to do.

Please review!


	13. Why?

Experiment 001

Chapter 13: Why?

Pete swallowed, unsure of what he had just said. Had he actually slipped?! He couldn't have! Clark's secret depended on him. He couldn't have said anything. It was too important to everything! He was imagining this! He hadn't told Chloe anything. He hadn't.

"What is Krypton? Who's Kal-El?" Chloe asked, looking between both of her friends.

"Chloe..." Alley sighed, "I-I don't know if you will understand this, but you were partially right about me. Frampson doesn't believe that I am from another planet. He knows that I am from another planet. It was called Krypton. And I am not the only one."

"Who's Kal-El?!" Chloe asked excitedly. She had waited years for this!

"My teacher's only child. Seven Kryptonian years younger than I."

Pete stood stunned. She wasn't going to reveal Clark?

"But Pete knows him?"

"Yes, but neither he nor I can tell you who it is. Kal-El is the only one who can reveal himself. I only tell you because I trust you. Please, don't force this. That is all I can say. Please, trust that Alex and I can handle this."

"If they two of you can handle this," Chloe interrupted, "Why tell us?"

Alley lowered her head, "Okay, I need help. I need you to do something for me. I'm... scared. And I need you to help me get something to Lex, just in case."

"Whoa," Pete finally said, "what do you mean, just in case?"

Chloe swallowed, "You don't expect to get away from him, do you?"

"No," Alley answered, "I have tried for ten years and he continues to return. I will do my best to make sure he does not, but one can not run forever. I want Alex to know a few things if..."

A heavy silence penetrated the room for a few moments until Pete finally stopped it, "So, what do you need us to do?"

"I need..." she sighed and opened her backpack, "in case something happens to me, give this to Alex." She handed Pete a video tape. "Please. You two are the only ones I trust. I need you to take care of this until Frampson is either in jail or something...happens to me."

"Wait," Chloe finally decided she wanted proof, "are we just supposed to believe that you are from another planet? Do you have any proof?"

Alley smiled, "I thought you might want some. "Yire, but, remember, you asked for it." She looked around, closed the door, and took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and both of her friends gasped when they saw that she was floating a good six inches off the ground. She lowered herself back to the ground and said, "I can also move very quickly, see through things, heat them up with my eyesight, and am nearly invounerable." She took a pair of sisors from the desk, laid her hand on the desk, drew the sissors over her head, and quickly brought them down onto her hand.

Chloe turned her head and screamed, and Pete yelled, "no." But when Chloe opened her eyes to look, the sissors were broken and Alley's hand was perfectly fine. Alley then reached into her pocket and pulled out the small tarnished silver box. "This is what allows me to react like a normal teenager." She pushed the lid open and it clicked three times, she winced and brought what was left of the sissors to her palm, and cut a jagged line into her skin. A small amount of blood leaked out. She closed the box and almost instantly the wound healed itself. "One of the medorites that fell in the Metior shower. It is a piece of Krypton. Or what is left of it after the explosion. It emits a radiation that can kill me. I get anywhere near the rocks, I feel pain; if I stay near them for too long, I die."

"So why do you carry a piece with you?" Chloe said, reaching to take the box. She took it from Alley's hand and instantly regretted it, "Jeeze! It weighs a ton!"

"The box is solid lead, Alex had it made. It makes me able to do things normal teens would." She lifted her shirt to reveal her navel piercing, "How else would I have gotten this?"

Pete and Chloe exchanged glances, "So you want us to protect this for you?" She pointed to the video tape. "Who's to say we won't just turn it in and get all the awards for finding proof of extraterrestrials?"

Alley looked to Pete and smiled, "Because I trust you."

Alex paced in his office. It wasn't even eight o'clock yet and he was already in desperate need of a drink. He didn't know what to do. He didn't even know where to start. Why was it always so difficult to come up with a plan when someone's life was on the line? Especially when it was the life of someone you cared about?

There was a knock on the office door, angrily he shouted, "I'm busy!"

But the door was still opened, "I believe you want to see me," an older man said, stepping into the room.

Lex fumed, how dare he have the audacity to come into this house?! He had tortured Alley for ten years, how dare he?! "What do you want?" Lex asked, not even trying to hide his contempt.

"You can't stop me, Mr. Luthor. You never have and you never will. People will know I'm not crazy, and they will know that the Luthor's have been hiding this from them."

"If you get within five hundred yards of Alley I will kill you myself."

"Strong words, I didn't think the Luthor's did anything themselves. That's why you have all those little underlings, isn't it?"

"Stay away from Alley! Can't you see that she's just a girl trying to live? Why am I even trying? Psychos like you can't be reasoned with."

"I prefer the term excentric. And you sent me to prison for all those years when it was your family who ordered those tests! Your father should have gone to prison, not me! They all said I was crazy, that aliens don't exist. I had one in my grasp for six years. She might have only been awake for one, but she was still there. I only did what I did for the betterment of human kind. She doesn't have any rights. She needs to be studied!"

"She deserves to live!" Lex sat down at his desk and hit the silent alarm for sercurity. "And I know she doesn't deserve to be butchered by the likes of you."

"It isn't like she's a person. She's a Crayonian, or whatever."

"Kryptonian."

"Whatever," he smiled, "Well, I guess I should be off before those guards get here." He walked toward the door and suddenly turned, "What I don't understand is why you haven't killed me already." With that he walked out.

Lex inwardly fumed, why hadn't he killed him? And he would have to have a talk with his head of security; he could have been dead already!

God, did he need a drink.

A/N: Sorry about not updating last week...my life has been really stressful. I mean, all my professors decided to give us homework, speeches, and midterms all of a sudden. The only class I had ever gotten homework in was English, but this week my chemistry professor decided to give us four different assignments, my political professor decided to give us a midterm...chemistry I can handle, I love science, but poli-sci?! Ha! I've been mad studying, and I still think I'm going to fail...cry...plus, here's something for all of you to laugh at, I'm running for homecoming queen! ::Insert laughter:: Me, wearing my Star Trek t-shirt, that was bought at a Star Trek convention, holding the newest issue of Amazing Magizine(a sci-fi short stories magazine), the girl who can beat almost anyone at Star Wars trivia, who plays Dungeon and Dragons, who hates wearing makeup, and wears blue jeans and t-shirts 90 of the time. When I was asked to run I laughed at the guy. When I told my mom I was running, she almost fell on the floor laughing. But that's ok, I did my speech of the character who is most like me on Captain Kirk. Give the judges something to remember...hahaha. At least I didn't pick the Disney Princesses. I wanted to be different...sigh...I think I'm going to lose. Oh, well, I didn't actually think they would pick a nerd as homecoming queen. Wish me luck though. I'm running for all the people were made fun of in high school! Maybe college will be different...there isn't actual voting, so...you never know!

Please review!


	14. The Calm Before the Storm

Experiment 001

Chapter 14: The Calm Before the Storm

Nearly a week passed, and though the conversation between Chloe, Pete and Alley was _not_ forgotten, it was pushed aside. Lex had told Alley how bold Frampson was becoming and Alley asked her two new confidants to help protect her. It was clearly seen how frightened she was. Even the slightest noise made her jump, and on occasion, even noises a human ear couldn't possibly pick up made her spring to her feet.

There was one good event that occurred. Pete had actually asked Alley on a date. After blushing and stammering and quite a few words in Kryptonian, she said yes. Pete never told Alley that it was actually Chloe who pressured him into it, and decided that he didn't want to anyway. When he actually talked to her, alone, she had many interesting stories about her various homes and he was even able to get a story about Krypton out of her. He listened intently and was amazed to discover just how different life was. He now understood why she missed it so much; and he was even more surprised to discover that she hated the looking at the sky because it was blue. She was odd alright, but she was kind and wanted to know about his past as well. She listened intently to each of his stories and when he gave out only as little detail as was needed, she pressed him for more.

She seemed taken aback when he gave his reason for disliking the Luthor's. She told him not to judge Lex by his father, but left it at that. Pete thought that was kind of her. She didn't press her view of Lex on him, and though she defended him, she never tried to force him to change his mind on her older brother.

He made a mental note to ask her about it when she was in a more sound state of mind.

At the moment, Chloe and he were sitting in the journalism room waiting for Alley. Pete was starting to get slightly anxious; neither of them had seen her since lunch.

"Should we go look for her?" Chloe asked, trying to be optimistic and failing miserably.

Pete swallowed, "No, she'll be here, just give her a few more minutes."

Suddenly the door was thrown open with great force. Lex stood in the doorway, panting.

"Lex!" Chloe exclaimed.

Pete's stomach tightened fearfully, "What's wrong?!"

Pete noticed uncharacteristic tracks of tears on the young man's face that Lex had not even attempted to hide. Lex only said five words, but they were enough. "He got her."

A/N: Okay, okay. I know. I know. And I'm pretty sure you all want to kill me about now, but things have been going way wrong. I did pretty poorly on my poli-sci midterm, I did NOT win homecoming (big surprise), I failed a "should have been REALLY simple" chem test, had a huge fight with a friend which resulted in the end of said friendship, and was forced to go to Louisiana where I saw both my grandparents, and while my mom's mom and dad are pretty cool, seeing my dad's mother is so mondo-ly horrible I kind of just avoided her the entire night.

Sigh. Also I've been writing a Quantum Leap fanfic as a sort of "therapy" for my dad. It is so creatively titled "Daddy". It should be posted in a week or two and I ask all of you who even bother to read my author's notes to please read it, even if you don't like Quantum Leap because it's for my daddy. I cried the entire time I wrote it. But my dad was the one who got me hooked on nearly every show I like, and he liked Quantum Leap a lot, so it's only fitting. I wish I watched All My Children…cause that would be an even better fanfic, seeing how in 25 years he never missed an episode. But yeah, so please read it, "Daddy".

And I shall post a new chapter BY FRIDAY. I promise. And there are two people that I know of who go to RCC who I'm sure will bug me about it, so none of you have to worry. (Right Berto? Anthony?)

So, yes, by Friday.

Till then!


	15. They're BOTH Gone

Experiment 001

Chapter 15:

Lex sat in his office. It had been nearly a week since Alley had told him that Chloe and Pete now knew her closely guarded secret. He had wanted to yell, scream, something…but the secret was hers, and although he would not have chosen to tell the town "reporter", he couldn't argue the fact that Pete was trustworthy. He only wished she had told Clark as well. Lex had asked Clark to watch out for her at school, as a favor. No details were given as to exactly why, but Lex was positive that the fear he felt was not hidden very well, even by his well trained mind, and that Clark had picked up on that fear.

No matter what happened between Lex and Clark, Alley was not Lex. Clark could not have refused Lex's request. Clark just wasn't like that.

Lex stood and started pacing the floor. For the past four days Clark had always called during their lunch to tell Lex that Alley was alright. He looked at the clock, 12:37…the call was nearly an hour late. If anything, Kent was punctual. Clark always kept his word.

Lex stared at the telephone on his desk, as if willing it to ring.

It remained silent…

He cursed and continued his pacing. God, damn, he needed a drink!

Again he glanced at the clock; 12:39…

"Damn it, Alley. For once—"

He jumped slightly as the telephone on his desk rang loudly.

He rushed over to it and picked up the receiver, his voice shook with relief as he spoke angrily, "Clark! What took you—"

"No, Alexander Luthor," a cold voice answered. "But you can stop looking. Don't waste the time or resources. You'll hear it in the news soon enough." Then the line went dead.

Lex tried to grab the chair before fell, but missed it entirely and crashed to the floor, complete shock written all over his face. He had imagined it. It wasn't real. NONE of it was real! It couldn't be!

"Pete," he whispered. Pete and Chloe would know. They would be watching her, too.

'What about Clark?' His mind taunted. What if Frampson had done something to Clark?! Frampson had said he would do anything to get her…but murder? MURDER a teenage boy?!

God, why not?! He was already trying to torture and murder a teenage girl.

Lex ran his palms harshly over his scalp. Why had she talked him out of bodyguards?! How had he let her?!

Tear started to fall from his eyes. How could he have allowed this to happen?! This was his fault. If he had only—

He cursed himself again for showing weakness. He was a Luthor, damn it! Weakness was not allowed. And yet he had allowed her to do everything commonsense screamed not to!

No! This was NOT her fault.

He needed to find her.

He no longer knew who he should turn to. The police couldn't do anything.

Chloe and Pete…they were his only option.

Chloe and Pete…

"He got her. She's gone." Lex repeated.

Pete didn't believe what he was hearing. Not possible. It just wasn't possible! He stammered for a moment, "Wh-what do you mean?! She can't—"

Lex sighed and started from the beginning, "I had asked Clark to look out for her last week. I asked him to check in with me at his lunch everyday. Today he didn't."

Pete chimed in, grasping at straws, "That doesn't mean anything, he could just be late!"

Lex turned to him angrily, "AND I got a call from Frampson. He told me not to waste anymore resources looking for her, that I would see it on the news soon enough."

Chloe swallowed, "So why come to us? What can we do?"

"You're the only ones I can turn to. No one else knows about her, and I can't risk anyone else finding out."

"Clark knows," Pete said guiltily.

Lex lowered his head, "Clark was with her, I think Frampson might have done something to him."

Chloe gasped.

Clark looked around the room, slightly disoriented. Why was everything red?

"You okay?" He heard someone say.

His head snapped in the direction of the voice, "Alley?"

She smiled sadly, "Sorry I got you into this."

Clark looked around again, there was nothing but chairs in the small room. "Why is everything red?"

"The light," she answered. "The reason you and I have the abilities we do is because the yellow light of Earth's sun. Krypton had a red sun. In red light we are just like normal Earthlings."

"What?!" Something that simple could not possibly be the reason for his powers!

"I remember the sunsets. They looked like…like…" she looked at Clark, "you wouldn't remember."

"So…what do we do?"

She sighed, "I don't know."

A/N: Mwahahahaha! See, I did update. Anyway, thanks for all the reviews. I love you all. I can't believe it took me so long to update last time. I wanted something to make me feel better, and I have something so simple like posting a chapter…I sure am smart.

I had a very rough week…I was forced to read something by Michael Moore for poli-sci…and write a report on it…and at the same time I had an English paper, chem. worksheets, and life in general. So "Daddy" has not been fully completed yet. But I'm working hard.

See. Now you can't kill me. Though only one person noticed that at the end of Chapter 14, it says, "Lex only said five words, but they were enough. "He got her." Oops…but yeah…that's what happens when you don't reread it enough times. But I fixed it when he came in at the middle of this chapter…that is what it's supposed to say in the last one…I'll fix it later.

Supergrl11: Now, either way, I would be dead and therefore couldn't update. I stick my tongue out at you (in good humor) and I shall work on the next chapter, straight away. Keep reading!

Knight/m: Updating! And I'm hanging…until my arms fall off, I'm hanging.

Anthony: Here's the next chapter! REVIEW!

And finally, Berto: Thank you so much. I hope you and Linh have a wonderful aniversery!


	16. The Plan

Experiment 001

Chapter 16: The Plan

Clark could not believe his ears. He needed to do something. This was crazy, he could not be expected to just sit there and do nothing! He needed to do something, anything! "Alley," Clark said, "what's going to happen to us?"

She scoffed, "I'm not entirely sure that you would want to know."

"I can't just sit here!" He said, almost losing his temper. He looked around the room; there was nothing, no chairs, no tables, just walls and a door. He squinted his eyes to try to look through the door to see what was on the other side, but found that all he saw was the door. "I-I can't see through the door…"

"Yeah," Alley said, "cyo ulraway."

Clark stared at her, "What?"

She looked at him blankly, "What?"

"You said something in Kryptonian."

She continued to stare, "I did?"

"Yeah, 'sss-iye-ooh ul-rah-way'?" Clark tried to sound out the words.

Alley looked surprised, "Oh," she thought for a moment, "not anymore."

"Huh?"

"That's what 'cyo ulraway' means: not anymore."

"So," Clark sighed, "we just wait?"

"It would seem." She sighed, "But someone should notice we're missing, soon enough, cy?"

"You did it again!"

"I'm sorry! It just happens! If it had been my choice, I would have never have had to learn English!"

Clark sighed again, "Let's not argue. If we're going to be stuck here, we might as well think of some kind of escape plan."

"Escape plan? I know you don't understand this, but I was stuck here for more than a year. There is no way out. We are stuck here. And unless someone can find us, we are dead."

"A year? I thought—"

"Awake. The ship malfunctioned. I was…asleep for longer than programmed. About seven Earth years too long."

"That's why we look the same age?"

She nodded, "Yes."

Clark looked around again, his eyes stopped at Alley. Her hair was up in pigtails. A sudden, slightly stupid idea came to his mind. "Alley, do you have any bobby-pins in your hair?"

She gave him a blank look, "Bobby-pins?"

"Yeah, I know it sounds stupid, but it's in a lot of movies and TV shows, pick the lock with a hair pin."

She pulled one out of her hair, "How does it work?"

Clark took the pin, "I don't know. I can usually just break the doorknob."

"If you want to try."

Clark walked over to the door and tried to put the hair pin in when the knob turned…

A/N: Okay, cliffhanger!!!!! But I updated faster than last time. Mostly cause Linh was sick and needed something to make her feel better. And I'm stuck in the computer lab. Can you believe that they actually require students to have at least 18 hours in the computer lab to pass a course?! What kind of crap is that?! So I'm stuck on this super old computer that doesn't even have a USB port to save my stuff to my little memory stick! So I had to e-mail it…cause my laptop doesn't have a floppy drive. And the keyboard on this thing is so stiff and junky!!!!! You people better be happy and give me reviews, I'm being tortured to type this up for you. But I still love you all. Thanks for all the reviews last time, believe me, they brighten my day. And I've needed that lately. We're winding down to the last chapters, so sad, I know. I will make the last 2 chapters extra long, so after the next one expect about 6-8 pages per chapter. So yes. Only three more to go! So sad.

Please review!


	17. In the Blood

Experiment 001

Chapter 17: In the Blood

Clark stared at the door fearfully. He took a few steps back, not sure if he should rush the person who was about to enter.

Frampson slowly opened the door, a sadistic smile was plastered onto his face.

Clark winced slightly, instantly recognizing the pain. He frowned, if he didn't have his powers, why did Kryptonite still hurt so much?! His eyes searched Frampson for the source, but found nothing but a small needle in the madman's hand.

"Now," Frampson started, "step back boy, and you won't get hurt. I'm just going to give her a little something." He raise the needle, as if to illustrate his point.

Clark looked back to Alley, she had a look of intense fear in her eyes. Clark didn't understand, was there Kryptonite in the needle? Was the man insane enough to actually put that inside her?! He grabbed Frampson and tried to push him out of the room. He hadn't realized how hard that was to do with someone when you weren't a few hundred times stronger than them. His hand slipped, and Frampson's hand, still holding the needle, came down on his forearm. Clark howled in pain, the needle had gone into his arm slightly. It felt as if someone had lit it on fire.

Frampson stepped back, "That wasn't meant for you, boy." He turned to Alley, "The next time, it gets in you, alien."

He turned and stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Alley rushed up to Clark, who had fallen to the floor gasping, clutching his arm. His body started shaking, "God!" He gasped, "It hurts!"

Alley calmly tried to quiet him, in soothing tones, she said, "Calm down, Clark, being afraid will only make it worse."

Clark closed his eyes and gasped again, "How would you know?!"

"Just trust me. Calm down. Breath. Keep moving your fingers."

Clark made an attempt, but his fingers would not move, god it hurt! "I-I can't!" He cried.

"You have to. Try!"

Clark tried again. His fingers moved slightly.

"Yes, keep it up, it will get better."

He whimpered as the burning sensation started to spread. He tried to breath.

"No fear, Clark, it'll be over in a few minutes. I'm here. Just keep moving your hand."

Clark did. God it hurt. He just wanted it to stop. It lasted the longest seven and a half minutes of Clark's life.

A/N: Okay, I know this is really freaking short. I will try VERY hard to make the next one longer. But this was finals week people! And I had an 8 page paper, 2-500 word essays, chemistry notes to make up, and a political science test to study for. And that was just the school stuff. I also had a catering job I had to make about 30 pans of stuff for, and other random things like that.

And besides:

Today is my 19th birthday!

BE NICE!

I now have like 2 weeks off. Aside from a catering job on new years eve. So I can update more. Have more time to write and stuff. Like I said in the last chapter, things are winding down. I know what I want to happen, I knew from the minute I started this fic, but it's getting it written that's the hard part. And I finally started the comic book for a friend of mine. It's awesome. Everyone has to read it. It's going to be the greatest comic series the world has ever known. There is only one problem: the storyline is different depending on who buys it (Marvel, DC, or some independent), so we have to write like three different pitches. Fun. But yeah. So that's what I've been up to lately.

Wish me a happy birthday!

Please review.


	18. Where to Look?

Experiment 001

Chapter 18: Where to Look?

Chloe, Lex and Pete rode in Lex's car in silence. No one knew what to say. They didn't even have a place to start looking. Both Chloe and Pete knew by the look of determination on Lex's face, that the lack of information would not stop him. His face was steeled into concentration, but his eyes gave away his true feelings. Lex was not frightened or determined.

He was terrified.

It was unmistakeable. Pete couldn't keep his heart from going out to the young man he hated so. Right now, he wasn't Lex Luthor, corporate mogal; he was Alex, a big brother, trying to save his little sister from a bully. Pete frowned at the analogy, it couldn't have been farther from the truth. Frampson was_not_ a bully, he was a demented criminal. A demented criminal who was trying to kill his girlfriend.

* * *

Chloe looked from Lex to Pete. She felt useless. She racked her brain, trying to think back on the stories that Alley had told her, trying to come up with any useful information to help them figure out where Frampson would have taken her. She could feel the horrible anxiety that filled the car. She wished that there was something she could do about it, but she was too afraid to talk. Lex looked like a completely different person. He had always been so confident, so sure of everything, no matter what the situation. Now his hands were trembling as he gripped the steering wheel so tightly it seemed it was about to snap under his fingers. His eyes were gleaming with hysteria. She hadn't thought that Lex Luthor could have had the capacity to care so much about a person. It made her wonder if she hadn't been wrong about other parts of his personality as well.

* * *

Lex could no longer think. His brain seemed to have simply shut down. His quick wit and comprehension of details was wrenched away, leaving him feeling like a scared five year old on the first day of kindergarden. He was nothing without his immense I.Q. His knowledge was all that he was. What good was it, that if he needed it, it promptly vanished, as if he had never had it!

'Where would he take her?'

Where would he think that Lex would not find?

No…Frampson was too cocky. He wouldn't think too much about the place…and it had to be near…

"Experiment 001…" he whispered.

He could feel Chloe and Pete's eyes boring into him. But instantly he knew. Frampson might be an incredibly brilliant scientist, but he was unbelievably dim-witted.

If he wanted to prove that Alli-Oxah was an alien, he needed equipment, of some kind, at the very least. He'd also need a room that could block out all sunlight, and replace it with red-filtered light.

The original complex was still standing, abandoned after Lionel had shut the experiment down. Most of the equipment was left.

That's where they were!

Without any further thought, Lex wipped the car around and floored the accelerator. Chloe and Pete voiced their surprise with yelps, but Lex quickly silenced them.

"They're in a small complex outside Metropolis. Where I found Alley. It's the only possible place." His voice was harsh, quipped, and definitive.

Chloe and Pete didn't seem so sure, and that infuriated the driver, "Frampson would be so stupid as to take her to such an obvious place, would he?" Chloe asked.

"That is the_only_ possible place," Lex said again, this time through clenched teeth. They could get out right now if they wanted to argue. Lex didn't have time for their doubts, Alley needed him!

"At the very least it's a place to start, Chloe!" Pete said testily.

If he hadn't been so worried, Lex would have smiled, Pete might not be such a bad boyfriend for Alley after all.

Lex nodded, he needed more thoughts like that. Thoughts of the future. They were going to rescue Alley, and then Lex was going to take her on a vacation somewhere. Somewhere tropical. No. Alley hated the outdoors. He'd take her Tokyo, or New York, or maybe Paris. Someplace with lots of shopping. Someplace far away.

* * *

Clark opened his eyes. The fire from the Kryptonite in his veins had vanished. He flexed his fingers, staring at them quizzically. He looked up to Alley, who was sitting in the far corner of the room with her knees to her chest, and her head resting on her knees.

"Thanks," he said softly.

Alley didn't so much as flinch, "Don't worry about it."

Clark huffed, "God, this light is bugging me!" He smiled softly in Alley's direction, trying to lighten the mood. She didn't notice.

"I like it. It's calming, reminds me of home."

Clark's smile faded, "You miss Krypton, don't you?"

"Wouldn't you miss your farm? Your mother and father?" She looked up.

Clark lowered his head, and she continued, unshead tears glistening in her eyes. "I don't even know why. My father disowned me. He said that because I sided with the traitorous Jor-El, I was no longer welcome in the House of Oxah. He said he had no children."

Clark watched sadly as tears started to fall from her eyes.

"Jor-El took me in. Told me that if Parume refused to acknowledge that he had a brilliant daughter, he would. He told me that if I wanted, I could be Alli-El. His daughter." She laughed bitterly, sobs shaking her body, "He asked for nothing in return…but I told him that I would take care of you. That I would protect you with my life. And look what happened." She spread her arms out wide, "You're going to be killed because of me."

Clark shook his head, not ready to believe the finality of her words. "No, Lex knows we're gone. He'll figure it out! Someone will find us."

"No one believed us," she continued, oblivious to Clark's words, "They called us traitors. At the end they tried to appoligize. To say that they were wrong. But it was too late. They still died. Everything was destroyed. Jee say toy! Inay-ta, Jor-El. Please forgive me."

Clark stared at the door, trying with all his might to burn through it, or at the very least see through it. They needed to get out of here. He just hoped that Lex was paranoid enough to go searching when he didn't receive Clark's daily lunch time call. But then, where would Lex look? Clark didn't even know where he was, how could Lex figure it out?

* * *

A/N: Whoo! That took a while! I am SOOOOOOO sorry! Please forgive me. Winter break and winter classes were horrible! Though I do recommend to anyone who wants to get into shape, take Pilates! Oh my gosh! They are kinda killer, but it is so completely wonderful, you even feel great afterward! Just don't get the tapes, my instructor would kill me if I didn't say that the tapes were not worth it. (She hates them) Well. Sorry again for taking so long. I noticed that I hadn't updated since my birthday…wow. Well, now that I actually have time again, you will have the next chapter next week, hopefully, and the final chapter a week after that! Ah, hurts don't it, 2 chapters left. But that just means, you should all bug me for more! Yay!

And read my two Hercules fics. The only reviews I got for them were from my friends whom I forced them to read both.

Please review!


	19. The Rescue

Experiment 001

Chapter 19: The Rescue

Alley and Clark had decided. They weren't going to just sit there, helpless, while Frampson knew exactly what he was going to do. They slowly but surely formulated a plan for the next time the mad-scientist entered the small room. Even if he brought another Kryptonite shot, they would be ready. All they needed was to rush him at the same time. The two children of Krypton might not have their superpowers, but they were still two against one. And the "one" was not expecting them to fight back. Alley had taken everything Frampson had dished out years ago only because she was a single frightened child among dozens of adult scientists, but now, the odds were even, and she was NOT going to let him touch her ever again.

Clark might not have had the experience to create Alley's anger, but he could tell that Alley was not to be trifled with. The two of them combined had a decent chance of getting the better of Frampson, especially if he wasn't expecting any resistance.

Clark only hoped that Frampson wasn't monitoring them and knew of their plan.

* * *

Lex had been pushing his car to the limit for nearly two hours. The road to the complex was practically disserted, leaving him enough room to drive over 90 miles an hour. Though, in all honesty, he did not notice his speedometer. All that he knew was that Alley was just a little ways away now. He would be there in less than fifteen minutes. She needed to hold on for just a few more minutes, that was all.

Just Fourteen minutes…

* * *

Frampson looked at the clock on the wall, as he had constantly when the complex was bustling with knowledge-hungry men and women. It had stopped years ago, the battery running dry after being left with all the other equipment in the complex, but it was still an ingrained habit. He sighed at the waste of it all. There was millions of dollars of equipment that was still worth most of that today. Why had the Luthors just left so much money lying around?

He sighed, what did a few million dollars matter when you were a billionaire?

He looked down at his watch; it had been about an hour and a half since he had accidentally injected the boy with the Kryptonite solution. The boy was going to be a problem. He just needed see that Frampson was right. She wasn't human. Frampson was right in his experiments. He was going to be the most famous scientist since Einstein. He would no longer be shunned or laughed at.

He picked the needle up again, and drew a lethal dose into it.

The only way to prove what she was to the world was to dissect her.

* * *

Clark had almost given up hope that Frampson would return, when the doorknob turned. The two quickly positioned themselves on either side of the door, ready to pounce.

When the door swung open, the two tackled the scientist, and ran out of the door, slamming it shut behind them. Clark looked to Alley with a smile and let the yellow light of the overhear bulbs wash over him. He squinted and saw the walls before him shimmer slightly and seemingly disappear. His powers were starting to come back almost immediately.

"We should call the police, have Frampson locked up," Clark said, the relief he felt was obvious in his words.

Alley looked at him, "With what? And what would we tell them? 'Hi, my name is Alli-Oxah Luthor and I've been captured by a mad scientist who thinks I'm an alien, I don't know where I am, but could you please send help'?"

Clark sighed, "Well, I don't know!"

They turned quickly when they heard footfalls echoing through the barren halls.

"Alex!" Alley yelled relieved as soon as she saw who it was.

"Pete, Chloe," Clark said, "what are you doing here?"

Lex laughed, his body finally relaxing upon seeing Alley was uninjured. "We came to rescue you."

Alley smiled, "I'm not seven anymore, Alex. Besides, I had Clark."

The metal door behind Alley and Clark swung open suddenly, Frampson stood in the doorway, anger radiated from his entire body. "Luthor!" He screamed with uncontained rage, "I won't let you make a fool of me again!" He threw a small rectangular object at Lex, who caught it without really looking and raised a handgun directly at the man. "I'll kill you before you take her away!"

Clark felt time slow as he tried to use his speed to reach his friend, but the pain of Kryptonite nearby stopped him. He saw Alley use the speed and stand in front of Lex, the bullet hit her right in the back, but to Clark's horror, it did not bounce off.

* * *

Lex felt Alley tense against him; he hadn't noticed that she had been in front of him. He stared at her in confusion. Her eyes were closed tightly, her face scrunched in pain, and he didn't understand why. He realized that something was in his hand and looked down; it was Alley's Kryptonite box, for when she needed a hair cut or when she got her belly button pierced…and it was open all the way.

The gun…

Lex's eyes widened in horror. He threw the box across the room and grabbed Alley as she started to fall. He fell to his knees, holding her tightly against him. He looked down at her, a slight smile curled her lips even through the pain. "Chloe, call 911!" Again, he found that he couldn't think. Something in his mind had just shut down.

"Joo-yah, Alex," Alley whispered. "Mrea lo zhi."

The horror in Lex's eyes was indescribable. "No," he whispered angrily. "Don't you dare, Alley!" He pulled her closer, "Don't, you hear me!"

* * *

A/N: Mwahahahaha. Cliffy! I love it. I hope you did, too!

Send me a review.

Thanx to all who have reviewed.

One chapter left!

See y'all next week!

Linh and Berto: Sorry loves, I shall not make it longer by making Lex fall in love with Pete. Why don't one of you write that?


	20. The Reasons Why

Experiment 001

Chapter 20: The Reasons Why

Lex sat in his office, as he had for the past week. He just sat there. His mind refused to think about anything except that horrible scene at the old complex.

Murder.

Frampson had _murdered_ Alley, the only soul who ever actually cared for Lex after his mother had died, and no matter what the outcome of the trail, Frampson would live. The bastard had killed an innocent girl. If any crime deserved the death penalty, it was this. She hadn't done anything. Damn Kansas law! Frampson didn't deserve to go on living, even if it was to be spent behind bars for the rest of his live. At least Frampson could not plead insanity, no matter how true that was. Kansas got at least one part correct. He would stand trail for murder, be convicted, and live the rest of his life in a comfortable little cell. Without the possibility of parole.

Lex was powerful and rich, he'd get the quack locked away forever. Especially with Chloe, Clark, Pete and himself as eye witnesses.

He couldn't lose.

So why did he feel so defeated?

Again and again it replayed in his mind. There had to have been something he missed, something he hadn't seen! Something, _anything_, that he could have done to prevent it. Yet, as it had done in the car on the way to the help Alley, his intellect failed him. He knew that there was something, he just couldn't find it.

He refused to give into his grief. He was a Luthor, above all else. He let his face fall into his hands, Alley had been the only person who loved him, wanted to actually be around him, and not thought about what they could gain because of it. Lex was able to be _himself_ around her. He didn't have to worry about the guise of being so sure of himself and always being correct. Alley didn't mind if he made a mistake. Hadn't minded. Past tense. Stupid tenses…

"Mr. Luthor?"

Lex jumped slightly as his secretary, Sophie, stood in the doorway. "I told you I don't want to be disturbed—"

"I know, Mr. Luthor, but there are three people out here saying that they will not leave until you see them."

Lex sighed; hewas not in the mood todeal with this! "Fine!"

Sophie stepped back and Chloe, Clark, and Pete stepped timidly into the office.

Lex sighed, another addition to his guilt. "Clark, Chloe, Pete, I'm sorry. I didn't mean…" he didn't finish. He really didn't know what he didn't mean.

The three seemed to understand, or at the very least disregarded Lex's rudeness. Chloe was the first to say something, "Lex, I…we…Alley gave me something before…just in case something happened…sh-she wanted me to give it to you if something happened."

Lex's mood instantly sobered, "What?"

"She gave us a video tape," Pete continued, "and told us that it was for you, just in case."

Chloe pulled a tape out of her bag, and held it out for Lex, "We didn't know how to really give it to you, so…"

Lex took the tape and the three turned to leave. Lex stared at the tape for a moment, dumbstruck. "Wait," he said as soon as he snapped out of it. "Please, stay." Lex was already berating himself for the weakness and intense emotion that was clearly in his voice. "You were the only other people who knew about her."

The three followed Lex into another room inside the mansion that had a television and VCR. Lex took a deep breath to steady himself, put the tape in, and pressed play. He felt his chest tighten painfully as a picture of Alley sitting on the chair in her room that he had sat in, after the incident at the Talon.

Alley seemed nervous and shaky. She sighed and ran her right hand through her hair. "Well," she laughed humorlessly and sighed again. "As much as I'd like to hope that we're watching this because it's all over and we needed a laugh, I'm pretty sure that it isn't the case. Um…Alex…please, don't be too sad. And no matter what, it wasn't your fault. Please, just remember that. Uh…will you tell Chloe, if she isn't watching with you, that I couldn't have ever hoped to have a better friend, even one who wants to print all the strange things in the newspaper. She'll make a great reporter one day. Umm…tell Pete that he was the greatest boyfriend a girl could hope for, even if it was only for a short while. Tell Clark, that it doesn't matter who his birth family is, the people who are in his life are his real family; that its good to know where you came from, but that we are our own people." Tears started to gather in her eyes, she hurriedly wiped them away. "And Alex…ji-say-toy…Alex…" The tear started to fall, and she just let them, "I-uh…I don't really know what to say. Is that bad? I had a speech already in my head, but now…I can't remember any of the words in English, and you wouldn't understand it in Kryptonian." She turned away for a moment and took a deep breath, when she turned back, her voice still broke, but it was slightly calmer. "So, I guess I'll say this: I hope I got to see you before. I wanted to tell you…'Joo-yah, mrea lo zhi.' It doesn't make sense in English, so I'll just tell you the story. It's an old Kryptonian legend, I know, a race of scientists shouldn't have legends, but it's one of them. A brother went to save his sister from a village that wanted to…to…" she closed her eyes in concentration, "I can't remember the word…but they were going to kill her as a present to the god of the sky."

Lex blinked back tears, "Sacrifice," he whispered, correcting her as he had a million times before.

"So," the video continued, "when he got there, he was found that he was too late. They had already started. So, he rushed up and held her, told her not to be afraid, that everything would be alright, he'd find a doctor, that they could go away and he wouldn't let anyone hurt her, he would protect her like he had always tried. And she said no. She knew it was too late. So she told him what I told you, "'joo-yah, mrea lo zhi'…it doesn't make sense translated, but it means, 'I'm not afraid, because now it's my turn to watch over you.'" Alley wiped the tears from her eyes, only to have them be replaced by more. "You always helped me, Alex, always watched out for me. Now, it's my turn. No matter where you are, or what's happening, just know, I-I'm doing my best to make sure you're okay. I told you before, in reality, the good-guys don't always win. Good doesn't always…triumph over evil. The good guys just have to be strong enough to keep going. You are the nicest Earthling I've ever known, Alex. Please, keep going." She reached to turn off the camera, "Oh, don't let anyone make Krypton into a joke. We made mistakes, but we were proud scientists." She paused, "Bye, Alex, I love you."

The screen filled with snow.

Lex didn't look at the three people staring at him. A few tears escaped his control, but only a few. "Thanks, Chloe," he said, not looking at her, and left the room. He didn't want them looking at him with pity. They knew the way out.

When he was back safely in his office, he took the bottle of scotch from its place, not bothering to grab a glass, and took a long swig. He went behind his desk collapsed into the chair, allowing a few sobs to break through his control. He didn't believe in ghosts or angles or spirits. Alley was dead. Gone forever. He'd never see her again. And she was _not_ watching him.

Maybe he had been seeing things wrong the whole time. Maybe he had just been on the wrong side all along.

…"The good guys don't always win"…that was reality?

The good guys might not always win…

…but the bad guys always seemed too…

A/N: Okay, the final chapter. Hope y'all liked it. I did some research on the whole death penalty/insanity plea thing, so, yeah, Kansas doesn't have either. Made me sigh slightly, cause this chapter could have been slightly longer if they had the insanity plea and death penalty, but…so it goes.

I hope you liked it. I have always liked Lex Luthor. He's so devious and evil. Plus, I hate Superman, so…yeah. I'm much more of a Batman girl myself. Batman's evil and really dark. Superman is too goody-goody for me. So, here's how I think the producer's of Smallville should make Lex finally turn bad.

I hope the whole story/legend thing wasn't too sappy...after writing it, I was thinking that it sounded pretty sappy...hope it wasn't **_that_** terribly bad.

Do you people think I should write another?

For all of the people who have stuck with me the whole time, thank you so much, you have no idea how much you brighten my day. A lot has happened since I started this fic, and you don't know how much your support has meant to me. It helps to make me feel like I can be a writer for a living. All I need is a little more practice.

Thanks again.

And, as always…

Please review.


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